A preliminary survey of undergraduate education on depression in medical schools in the Asia Pacific region

Objective: To describe the undergraduate medical curricula pertaining to depression across the Asia Pacific region. Methods: Questions were sent to the members of the SEBoD International Advisory Board asking for details on the specifics of medical curricula regarding depression. Results: Representatives of 13 medical universities from eight Asia Pacific countries provided information. All curricula include psychiatry lectures, and most countries also conduct seminars and tutorials. Provision of clinical experience is common, but not all curricula include specific presentation of cases of depression. Within the psychiatry courses reviewed, only a small component of teaching is related specifically to depression. Conclusions: As there is growing recognition of the burden of depression, development and implementation of national curricula standards are recommended to address inadequacies in teaching of depression in undergraduate medical universities throughout the Asia Pacific region.