Encarna Abascal and Fernando Hontangas present the CSIF mental health survey.
Almost half of the health workers who work in the public administration consume drugs such as antidepressants, anxiolytics or hypnosedants to treat problems related to mental health. A survey carried out by the union CSIF has placed the group as one of the most affected, along with the body of teachers, in this problem that shakes the entire group of public employees.
The survey has highlighted how this situation has increased due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. 63.9 percent of the professionals of the National Health System (SNS) who take this type of medication has recognized that it began to do so following the outbreak of infections. While 74 percent of those who used it previously attribute their current situation to “lived situations” during the coronavirus crisis.
The profile most affected by mental health problems in the civil service as a whole it is represented by the women between 45 and 54 years of age who work either in public health or in educational centers. 76 percent of those who daily use drugs related to mental health problems consider that the work is one of the factors that has led them to medication.
The stress derived from the high Workload, the scarce professional recognition or evil working environment due to factors such as harassment, conflicts or aggression are the three main reasons that lead public employees to consume antidepressants, anxiolytics or sleeping pills. To this reality, we must also add job insecurity, problems with users or economic difficulties, to a lesser extent.
“The scant psychological support in companies and administrations and the absence of an adequate mental health network in our country means that care for depression or anxiety is not addressed effectively”, pointed out the national secretary for the Prevention of Occupational Risks of CSIF, Incarnate Abascal, at the press conference to present the survey.
More staff and prevention plans
In order to reverse this situation, the trade union organization has presented a battery of proposals to the Government. The main one involves raising the ratios of mental health professionals to reach an average of 18 psychiatrists and clinical psychologists per 100,000 inhabitants to position itself in the whole of the European Union. This jump would require the incorporation of almost 4,000 medical specialists and 5,640 psychologists in the SNS.
“Reinforcements are scarce and insufficient. This has a clear impact on the delay in assessing mental health services”, pointed out the president of the national sector of Health of CSIF, Fernando Hontangas, which usually presents these claims at the negotiating table with the Ministry of Health.
The union representative has warned regarding the waiting list to access psychiatry and psychology services in the SNS, with special emphasis on communities such as Cantabria or Aragón where the period can last up to a year. For this reason, he has insisted on the importance of reinforcing the mental health aspect in Primary Care. “It is key to increase funding, material and human resources. has exposed.
At the same time, CSIF has also presented various claims such as specific legislation on mental health as a psychosocial risk at work, recognition of ‘burnout’ (professional burnout syndrome) in the table of occupational diseases, the development of a national suicide prevention plan or the preparation of risk assessments by work psychologists in the entities.
A total of 2,000 civil servants of all administrations, including 609 health professionals.
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