Depression and antidepressant use among Iraqi doctors, an investigative study using beck depression inventory

Introduction: Doctors are more likely to experience depression because they are subjected to more stress at work than members of many other professions. Long hours, heavy workloads, increasing severity and difficulty of the work and ongoing patient interaction with illness and emergencies, high level of accountability, fast shift within healthcare, organizational limitations such as discriminatory practices and intimidation a lack of independence, inadequate assistance, a decrease in job satisfaction, low morale, and an inability to handle personal responsibilities are just some of the stresses that healthcare workers face.  

Objectives: The present study aims to evaluate the prevalence of depression and antidepressant utilization among Iraqi doctors, an investigative study using the Beck Depression Inventory.

Method: This is a cross-sectional study with a convenience sample conducted on Iraq's medical population using a multi-item questionnaire over 6 months (March – September 2022). Beck's Depression Inventory was used, which contains 21 questions. We used this scale to screen for depression based on self-report. The answers were collected by an online questionnaire that was aimed at the medical population. The test link was distributed amongst doctors groups and answers were limited to one response.

Results: The results revealed that there was a high prevalence of depression and use of antidepressants among Iraqi doctors 

Conclusion: Due to the stressful nature of their line of work, doctors have a higher risk of developing depression and are more likely to seek treatment with antidepressants.