YOU Chose Med, Deal With It – LeMSIC Lebanon

Name of the activity: YOU Chose Med, Deal With It

Country/NMO: LeMSIC Lebanon

Program: Mental Health

Contact information: contact [email protected] to get in touch with the Activity Coordinator

Type of the activity: Continuous Activity

Category: Capacity Building

Focus area: Mental Health promotion and Prevention, Mental Health among Medical Students

Sustainable Development Goals addressed: SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being)

General description:

It consists of sessions tackling depression, anxiety, panic attacks, OCD, ADHD, Suicide, PTSD, eating disorders, time and stress management, self-care, burnout, bullying, peer pressure, failure, motivation. “Take a Break” is a subpart consisting of recreational activities for mental health breaks. A Mental Health Watch Form was shared to assess mental health state and provide resources for professional help and safe space to contact us when in need. An Instagram Reel was done for awareness.

Problem statement:

People say that we chose medical school and need to deal with it no matter what faces us, making us reconsider our worthiness and competence. A Lebanese study showed that 46.8% of medical students reported anxiety and depression. In a country struggling with economic and health crises on top of the mental burden of medical school, we need to care for ourselves, so we did this activity tackling medical students’ mental health through informative sessions, recreational activities and a safe space.

Target groups:

• Medical students

Beneficiaries:

• General population
• Doctors
• Patients

Objectives:

* To hold at least 7 recreational activities in at least 3 medical schools in Lebanon for a mental health break by the end of August 2023.

* To hold in at least 8 medical schools in Lebanon, with at least 14 externals, by the end of March 2023: 

– 8 sessions about mental health disorders and struggles.

– 2 sessions about time and stress management skills.

– 3 sessions on tips to cope and help peers.

– 3 talks to relate, motivate, recognize strengths and change the perspective of failure.

* To raise awareness about the importance of mental health through a Reel asking medical students if they have someone to talk to.

* To give a safe space for at least 1200 medical students to express themselves through a confidential or anonymous Mental Health Watch form accessible by only the NPO and VPA for the entire term, while assessing their mental health state, and providing professional resources and our contact information if in need to talk.

Indicators:

* Have at least 30 medical students attend each of the recreational activities.

* Have 70% assimilation of the pillars of mental health through pre and post-evaluation forms.

* Have 70% satisfaction and benefit from the sessions reported through the feedback form.

* Have at least 50 medical students fill the Mental Health Watch form by August 2023, and at least 30% of them report positive feedback.

Methodology:

* Form an OC divided into teams with specific tasks:

– PR Team: Stakeholders mapping and analysis, contacting externals, such as speakers in the sessions, in coordination with the VPE.

– Design and Social Media Team: Prepare posters and Survival Kit for promotion of the sessions and activities, and film the reel in coordination with the VPPRC.

– Logistics Team: Prepare WhatsApp Groups and Zoom Links for the sessions, and prepare the appropriate logistics of each activity, like Football Tournament, Christmas Celebration, etc.

– Evaluation Team: Prepare Pre-Eval and Post-Eval forms using the Likert Scale as well as feedback forms and help the VPCB draft an evaluation report to be shared with members and externals.

– Finance Team: take care of budgeting and finances.

* VPA and NPO: improve the questions of the Mental Health Watch form prepared during the previous terms based on feedback. Send the form on the email server in Dec 2022 and add it to the email signature of the VPA and NPO.

Plans for evaluation:

* Have a feedback form after each recreational activity.

* Have a pre and post evaluation form for each informative session.

* Have a feedback form for the workshop as a whole.

* Have a feedback form to assess the usefulness and ways to improve the Mental Health Watch form. 

* Contact and follow up, by the VPA or NPO, with the members who filled the Mental Health Watch Form and mentioned they would like to be contacted.

External collaborations:

* 9 psychologists, 7 psychiatrists, and 3 LeMSIC alumni were contacted to deliver the sessions.

* Embrace (a Lebanese NGO which aims to ensure mental health, access to care, and prevention of suicide among the Lebanese population through awareness, advocacy, professional services, and 24/7 Lifeline) is being contacted for support for the sessions (participate in the delivery) and to provide mental health services to LeMSIC members and medical students in Lebanon through the Mental Health Watch.