“Talking alone in the street is a reflection of real psychological suffering”declares to Parisian Antoine Pelissolo, head of the psychiatry department at the Henri-Mondor hospital in Créteil (Val-de-Marne). With more than 100 of his colleagues, the psychiatrist signed a letter delivered to the Minister of Health Agnès Buzyn this Wednesday, January 16. They denounce the shortcomings in the care of people with mental illness in France, particularly related to the problems of budgets allocated to psychiatry in hospitals.
While one in five French people suffers from mental disorders, these people who suffer or will suffer from depression, bipolar disorder, autism or schizophrenia are not sufficiently cared for. For good reason, the number of beds in hospitals is decreasing, while medical practices are overloaded.
Insufficient funds for psychiatry
“The demand for consultation is increasing because certain disorders are better identified, and pathologies such as depression and autism are also on the rise”confirms Antoine Pelissolo, still at Parisian. As psychiatric services are overloaded, hospitalization times are shortened. ” It is unacceptable. You will never see that anywhere else, we would never let a patient operated on with an open heart leave the hospital the day after his intervention”he continues.
Professionals had already denounced the insufficient place of psychiatry in the 2022 Health Plan presented by the government. Last December, the Minister of Health announced a budget extension of 50 million euros in order to “respond to the difficulties of the sector and initiate the necessary transformations”. An “innovation fund” endowed with 10 million euros should also be created this year. An insufficient envelope, according to the signatory psychiatrists. The Union Syndicale de la Psychiatrie (USP) is therefore calling for participation in a national day of action, which will be held on Tuesday, January 22, Place de la République in Paris.
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