Effects of cinema-based education and media representations in the psychiatry rotation of fifth-year medical students

BMC Med Educ. 2026 Jul 18. doi: 10.1186/s12909-026-09972-4. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: This study aims to examine the pedagogical effects of cinema-based learning and media representations during the psychiatry clerkship through the experiences of fifth-year medical students.

METHODS: Designed as a qualitative descriptive study, the research was conducted at the Kocaeli University Faculty of Medicine during the 2024-2025 academic year. Following the screening of the film Deli Bal-which centers on bipolar disorder-as part of the clerkship curriculum, semi-structured interviews were conducted with the students. The collected qualitative data were evaluated using reflexive thematic analysis.

RESULTS: Findings reveal that cinema-based education concretizes abstract psychopathological concepts, effectively translating theoretical knowledge into clinical visibility while enhancing students’ diagnostic reasoning and empathic capacities. Furthermore, students demonstrated stigma literacy by critically evaluating the discrepancies between cinematic dramatizations and clinical reality. They exhibited heightened sensitivity particularly toward the depiction of suicide and the inadequate representation of treatment processes. The analysis also highlighted a clear student demand for multimodal learning environments over traditional didactic instruction to combat “text fatigue.”

CONCLUSION: When embedded within structured guidance and debriefing sessions, cinema-based education serves as a highly effective pedagogical tool in psychiatry training. It not only strengthens clinical reasoning and combats stigma but also fosters professional identity formation among medical students.

PMID:42471683 | DOI:10.1186/s12909-026-09972-4