According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are 17 million Italians with mental disorders.
Of these, only 25% access public mental health services. Always according to theWHO, Italy has 5.98 psychiatrists and 3.8 psychologists per 100 thousand inhabitants, compared to 830 thousand users with psychiatric difficulties. This translates into a staffing deficit within the mental health system, which varies from 25% to 75%.
A critical condition that has been further aggravated by the pandemic, if you consider that half of the population reports increasing stress and 16.5 percent show symptoms of depression (from the Italia in salute Foundation).
Taking inspiration from these and other data, and in the wake of the motion presented by the majority and approved by the Chamber of Deputies, a group of deputies from the minority also presented a motion which commits the government to a substantial list (27 points) of activities all aimed at a profound improvement of the public service system mental health.
Among the first points of the motion, the urgent definition of a National plan for the protection of mental health
and the promotion of psychological well-being; Lupdating of essential levels of assistance, with the inclusion in the grid of tools to also evaluate mental health pathways in the area, and not just in hospital, and ensuring real differentiation in the provision of care and intervention models. They are still expected initiatives to increase the share of spending for mental health departments, which has remained at 3.5 percent of the regional health fund for over 20 years, i.e. just over 4 billion euros, and actions aimed at relaunching mental health and psychological well-being protection services, favoring a territorial network to integrate public offers and proposals from the so-called private sector
social.
The deputies who signed the motion then underline the need to identify uniform qualitative, technological and organizational standards of the network of mental health centers and strengthen the supply of specialist staff in the field of mental health. There is no lack of attention to the strengthening and efficiency of territorial networks, in terms of integration both between the public, private and private-affiliated sectors and with the network of social and health services, and to the promotion of the home as the first place of care. A specific space is dedicated to the developmental age with the request to include the figure of the psychologist within the paediatrics and neonatal departments of the hospitals of the National Health Service; to grant families with dependent children under the age of 18 a voucher intended to facilitate access to psychological and psychotherapeutic services for the most vulnerable segments of the population; to introduce the figure of school psychologist in schools of all levels and, finally, to guarantee theincrease in the number of beds in public mental health services and in child neuropsychiatry departments. The objective of the commitments requested from the government by the deputies is, in conclusion, recognize the right to psychological health for all citizens.
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