Mental illnesses are spreading at a frightening rate
The incidence of mental illness is rising rapidly, with the incidence of depression alone rising by more than 50 per cent since 1990, and by 2020, mental disorders will be the second largest burden of disease across the EU. The development of psychiatric care is an urgent necessity worldwide, including in Hungary, said the press conference of the jubilee traveling meeting of the Hungarian Psychiatric Society (MPT).
The number of mental illnesses is rising at an alarming rate worldwide, with one in five people in the US at risk of diagnosing mental illness, more than 7 per cent of the population in the EU suffering from depression and 4 per cent of deaths due to mental disorder. By 2020, psychiatric illnesses will be the second largest burden of illness in the EU after cardiovascular illness, necessitating the development of psychiatric care and capacity, emphasized Károly Molnár, President of the MPT.
Hungarian figures are no better than international ones, and although the number of suicides has fallen in recent years, it is still very high within the EU. There are few psychiatrists in Hungary, the spatial distribution of the care network is not even, there are regions where the situation is still very bad - added Károly Molnár, noting that according to their calculations, an ideally functioning psychiatric outpatient care could ideally provide 80-120 thousand inhabitants. The profession is struggling to expand its network of centers near the population, and today it is the most prominent form of care, with more than two-thirds of patients receiving outpatient therapy.
Although the health government indicated that it was a partner in the MPT's proposals, and there are partial results, for example, a team was formed within the EFOP tender, but Central Hungary and Budapest are left out of the initial development, and comprehensive outpatient care development was promised there is still no word.
There should be a separate mental health law
In addition to capacity building, there would be many other things to do, and according to the president of the MPT, the criminal events also indicate regulatory shortcomings. The rights and possibilities of the participants in acute care and the institution of compulsory outpatient care should be regulated in an independent mental health law. Patients with risky behaviors often drop out of outpatient care after discharge from hospital, are not required to do so, but abandoning established therapy can again lead to risky behaviors. The legal settlement of this is not a medical competence - emphasized Károly Molnár.
The toolkit for treating mental disorders is also available in terms of knowledge and medicines, but accessibility needs to be improved, as, for example, according to international and Hungarian data, only a third of depressed people reach the healing teams. The role of the co-professions and the extension of the competence of GPs to prescribe psychiatric drugs was also emphasized by the President of the MPT, emphasizing that the profession has clearly set out the directions for progress in the national public health program.
Other diseases of people with untreated mental disorders are more difficult to cure
Among the psychiatric disorders, the incidence of diseases for which patients were previously admitted to closed institutions has skyrocketed in recent years, but for those that significantly affect quality of life and lead to premature death, such as depression, which has an impact on productivity. 1 percent of EU GDP, noted György Purebl, previous president of the MPT.
Mental health is inseparable from physical condition, physical illnesses that are caused by untreated mental disorders can be cured with less success at twice the cost, and that is why money invested in psychiatric care would multiply. The country that will be able to develop a comprehensive solution for the first time to protect mental health and expand the treatment of diseases can gain a significant competitive advantage, said György Purebl.
The earlier the trouble starts, the worse the outcome
Judit Balázs, the future president of the MPT, focused on prevention, emphasizing that a significant proportion of mental illness begins in childhood, and the earlier, the worse the outcome. One of the tools for prevention could be to address mental health routinely at school, improving young people’s self-efficacy. As part of this, they would be taught that they can say no, that others may have a similar problem, and that they dare to ask for help. Indeed, stigmatization of psychiatric disorders is still the biggest obstacle to seeking professional help at the time.
Source: napi.hu
2020.08.06.
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