This study determined the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress among allied medical and medical students of Ateneo de Zamboanga University School Year 2020-2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, explored their experiences in terms of challenges, coping strategies, mental health manifestations and gathered suggestions for possible solutions on reducing the risks of these mental health concerns. The study utilized the total count sampling method with a total of 195 allied medical and medical students presently enrolled in Ateneo de Zamboanga University School Year 2020-2021. Self-reported questionnaires and Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale 21 (DASS-21) made through Google forms were used in gathering data. The overall prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress among 195 allied medical and medical students of Ateneo de Zamboanga University School Year 2020-2021 during the COVID-19 outbreak were 81 (41%), 82 (42%), and 34 (17%), respectively. The reported challenges during the COVID-19 outbreak among allied medical and medical students who participated in the qualitative phase of the study fell into 7 themes: Online classes adjustments, increased social isolation, loss of motivation or concentration, changes in the living environment and routine, unresolved personal and family issues, financial difficulties, and fear of becoming infected and jeopardizing family health. Mental health manifestations experienced by the respondents fell into 4 themes: disruptions of sleep patterns, changes in mood patterns, hyperventilation, and suicidal thoughts. The reported coping strategies were divided into 2 themes: self-management and seeking support from others. The perceived solutions by the respondents to help reduce the risks of depression, anxiety, and stress fell into 2 main themes: social support and interventions from medical schools.

Keyword: Depression, anxiety and stress Allied medical and medical students