It is urgent to invest in mental health – 05/21/2023 – Marcia Castro

The last day 18 marked the National Anti-Asylum Fight Day. In almost five months of office, the current government has already invested more than R$ 32 million in the expansion of the Psychosocial Care Network in Brazil. This investment is necessary and represents the beginning of an urgent plan to strengthen mental health policies. According to a report by the WHO (World Health Organization), about 1 billion people in the world live with some type of mental disorder. Access to care, however, is limited by lack of qualified personnel, lack of services, lack of knowledge, stigma and discrimination.

Globally, before the Covid-19 pandemic, the life expectancy of people living with mental disorders, compared to those without disorders, was 10.2 years lower among men and 7.3 years lower among women. This difference results from premature deaths due to suicide and physical comorbidities associated with mental illness and psychological distress.

This scenario has worsened even more since 2020, as the pandemic has affected the mental health of people with and without pre-existing conditions, exacerbated social inequalities and caused disruptions in access to health services.

According to the WHO, during the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic alone, cases of depression and anxiety increased by more than 25% globally. Suicide accounted for more than 1 in every 100 deaths, with 58% occurring before age 50. According to Unicef, 15% of teenagers in Latin America live with some type of mental disorder. Depression and anxiety account for half of these disorders, and suicide is the third leading cause of death among 15- to 19-year-olds. It is important to emphasize that child sexual abuse and abuse by intimidation are important causes of depression.

In this regard, Brazil’s statistics are repugnant. In 2021, nearly a fifth of rape victims were aged 5-9! About 61% of rapes were victims of children and adolescents under 14 years of age.

With regard to suicides, the number in 2021 was 2.3 times higher than in 2000. Regionally, this number more than tripled in the North and Northeast regions. Considering population size, the South region consistently has the highest suicide rates. In 2021 there were about 12.2 deaths per 100 thousand inhabitants in the South region, against 7.8 in Brazil.

A study published this month in The Lancet discussed risk factors associated with premature death from mental disorders and suggested strategies for action organized into three categories.

The first refers to the integration of mental and physical health care, including access to quality mental health services in primary care and improvement in screening, early identification and treatment of comorbidities.

The second addresses prioritizing prevention and strengthening treatment and suggests specific actions in the workplace, participatory community interventions, awareness programs and training.

The third talks about optimizing interventions and multisectoral actions. These include strategies to reduce stigma and discrimination, increase investment in mental health programs, reduce income, gender and racial inequalities, and use new technologies in treatment.

Access to mental health care is a human right. Strengthening and expanding the psychosocial care network is an investment, as it would contribute to reducing preventable morbidity and mortality, but above all it is a moral commitment of any government that values ​​life.

PRESENT LINK: Did you like this text? Subscriber can release five free hits of any link per day. Just click the blue F below.