On Claire Frentz
Published 4 hours ago, Updated 4 hours ago
”
data-script=”
>
This label, requested by many players in the world of health, should make it possible to highlight and allocate new resources to a sector in crisis.
After the promotion of physical and sporting activity in 2024, the Olympic Games oblige, it is mental health which becomes a major national cause for the year 2025. The Prime Minister called for it ten days ago during his first appearance on television. He confirmed it this Tuesday, October 1 during his general policy speech. Mental health will be one of his government’s priorities. The subject is a commitment “familial» long-standing for the new Prime Minister, whose mother was president of Unafam (the National Union of Friends and Families of the Sick and/or Mentally Handicapped) in Savoie for 35 years.
Before the deputies, Michel Barnier recalled that “successive crises, including Covid, have had a significant and aggravating effect” on the psychological well-being of the French, particularly that of the youngest. The figures show this even more forcefully: hospitalizations for suicide attempts and self-mutilation have increased sharply over the last 15 years among adolescents and young women, according to a study carried out by the Ministry of Health. And this increase has been very marked since the end of the Covid epidemic: in 2021-2022, they increased by 71% compared to the average for the period 2010-2019, according to the study. A recent study carried out by Indeed and OpinionWay also attests to growing unease in the professional environment: nearly one in two employees (48%) currently fear for their mental health while a third of them have already been affected by burn-out.
Today in France, one in five people is affected by a disabling psychological disorder. A social, health but also economic cost, recalled the Prime Minister, who underlines that mental illnesses are the main expenditure item for health insurance.
The need for collective mobilization
«Progress is being made in research and treatments but there is still so much to do in terms of supporting patients and caregivers. notes Michel Barnier who wishes to make “great national cause” everyone’s business – from the State, to communities, including businesses and associations. A collective mobilization which intends to respond to the crisis experienced by the psychiatry sector. The specialty is struggling to attract young doctors and faces a lack of material and financial resources at a time when demands from the population are exploding. According to the French Federation of Psychiatry, 30% of psychiatric positions are not filled in public hospitals, the fault, in part, of a persistent bad reputation.
Through the award of the “great national cause” 2025 label, the profession hopes to highlight the lack of human and material resources they face in their services. Caregivers expect the “great national cause” to be more than just an announcement. Since the health crisis, the government has launched a number of initiatives, particularly aimed at young people, without this reversing the trend of a deterioration in mental health indicators. For his part, the Prime Minister promised to quickly resume the work started by the National Refoundation Council on mental health which had been interrupted by the dissolution last June.
