Anxiety remains the main psychological discomfort in the country. According to the eighth round of the “Achs-UC Mental Health Thermometer in Chile”, prepared by Achs and the UC Center for Surveys and Longitudinal Studies of the Catholic University, 24.8% of the people surveyed exhibited this type of mental health problems, a figure almost identical to the previous round (22.3%). This data represents an increase of 2.5 percentage points and remains in the range -24% to 27%- that it has shown since it began to be measured in this survey in mid-2021.
In a press conference, broadcast through the YouTube channel of the Catholic University (UC), they announced the results of the research, which was carried out through telephone interviews with a representative sample of 2,600 people over 18 years of age, during November and December 2023.
Daniela Campos, Technical Head of Psychosocial Risks at Achs Seguro Laboral explains that “the national reality indicates that a quarter of the population presents symptoms of anxiety, following two and a half years it is the figure that has been most constant in our study, therefore that we must start looking for more effective ways to help people.” The psychologist details that the most common symptoms were having excessive worry (28.5%), problems relaxing (24.3%), feeling nervous, anguish or a lot of tension (23.3%) and being unable not to worry (21. .7%).
The survey revealed that there was an increase in both men and women, although it is women who show a higher prevalence (34.6%) compared to men (14%).
Psychologist Antonia Errázuriz, academic at the UC School of Medicine, points out that the figures presented represent a decrease in the levels of psychological distress in the general population compared to the period of the COVID-19 pandemic: “The prevalence of mental health problems They have remained stable since the end of 2022 and the gender differences observed are as expected. The lower levels observed even make it possible to speak of a recovery in the levels of mental well-being in the population.”
In that sense, this new version of the Mental Health Thermometer revealed that 17.1% of the people surveyed suspected mental health problems, very similar to the previous round (17.5%). Women fell 7.1 percentage points compared to the April 2023 measurement and men rose 7.2 points compared to the same date.
According to the study data, 57.1% of those who reported anxiety symptoms stated that they had needed to consult a mental health professional in the last year. 44% managed to make this consultation in the last twelve months and currently 23% are undergoing treatment.
On the other hand, 42.9% of those who reported anxious symptoms did not feel the need to consult a mental health professional (a number greater than 1.2 million people) and 13.1% who were unable to consult despite having had the need (regarding 400 thousand people).
“The Mental Health Thermometer allows us to measure that slightly less than half of those who present symptoms of anxiety or depression indicate that they have not had the need to consult a specialist, possibly indicating the importance of improving information and education regarding health problems. mental in the population,” indicated David Bravo, director of the UC Center for Surveys and Longitudinal Studies.
The reasons for not consulting were multiple, the main ones being lack of financing (mentioned by 47.4% of those interviewed), not being able to get an appointment/time (mentioned by 38.7%), wanting to face the problem alone. (24.5%) and lack of coverage in their health plan (24.6%).
Additionally, for the third consecutive version, the eighth round of the Mental Health Thermometer explored the level of satisfaction and perception of effectiveness of mental health treatments in the population, a pioneering measurement in the country.
Along these lines, the survey showed that 79.2% of those who indicate having received mental health care in the last twelve months said they felt “quite satisfied, very, or completely satisfied” with the way in which the professional treated the problem. . Additionally, 74% said the treatment had made things “a little” or “quite a bit” better (with 56.7% stating the latter).
Another symptomatology that has shown a constant in the latest versions of the Mental Health Thermometer is depression. In this new installment, the figure was 13.1% of those interviewed, very similar to the last two rounds (13.9% and 13.7%), with a slight decrease in women (2.4 points) and a small increase in men (1.4 points) compared to that seen in April 2023.
Of those who exhibited these symptoms, 55% said they felt the need to consult with a mental health professional in the last year, 40.7% actually managed to consult a professional, and 25.9% are currently undergoing treatment.
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