Shaping Future Doctors' Minds: Effects of Biological and Social Models on Medical Students' Views on Depression

The aim of this study was to explore how changes in biologically based narratives versus socially focused ones affect medical students' perceptions of causes, treatment strategies, and social distance towards patients and their beliefs that patients can improve.

The sample consisted of 1652 medical students of 18 to 32 years of age from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Belgrade. Three text passages describing a female with standard symptoms of depression were randomly assigned. Within the text, additional information about different circumstances was included: information about personal problems (group S), family mental disorder history (group B), or both (group BS).

Although family history of mental illness does not necessarily imply heredity, group B assumed a biological cause of depression to be more probable and identified medication prescription as a more effective treatment approach than the other groups did. Changes in views towards treatment strategies from the first year to later years were observed with the medical model becoming more dominant.

The results of this study warn us of a tendency towards thinking less about social causes and more about medication prescription when an indication of biological causes is present. Implications for the medical education of future doctors and clinical practitioners are discussed.