Posted: Tuesday, April 1, 2014 4:01 am | Updated: 7:05 am, Tue Apr 1, 2014.

ST. LOUIS (AP) A new Saint Louis University study indicates that medical schools can go a long way in helping future doctors manage their own levels of stress and depression.

Dr. Stuart Slavin, associate dean of curriculum at the university's School of Medicine, published a paper in the April edition of Academic Medicine. It looked at the well-being of first- and second-year medical students before and after changes to the university's medical school curriculum designed to prevent depression, stress and anxiety.

Slavin says the changes led to dramatic improvements. Depression rates in first-year students went from 27 percent to 11 percent. Meanwhile, board scores rose.

The university says depression is a big issue in medical schools across the U.S., affecting 20 to 30 percent of medical students.

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Study addresses depression in medical school