Even if 6 out of 10 French people admit to experiencing psychological suffering, a large number of them do not go through the doors of the psychologist’s office, according to a new survey.
- 61% of French people feel unwell or feel concerned in their daily lives by a mental health problem, according to a new Ipsos survey for Qare.
- Only 1 in 5 people report having consulted a mental health professional.
- The main obstacles to making an appointment are the feeling that “it’s not bad enough”, financial problems and a bad experience with a mental health professional.
Finances, health, family… there is no shortage of subjects of concern, and the mental health of many people is affected. An Ipsos study carried out for Qare in February, published on March 29, 2023, reveals that “61% of French people ask themselves questions, feel unwell or feel concerned in their daily lives by a mental health problem”. And yet, they are few to dare to consult a specialist.
Mental disorder: women dare to consult less
Indeed, only 1 in 5 respondents admitted to having consulted a mental health professional. In addition, 8 out of 10 French people encountering mental health problems are not followed up. The study, conducted by Ipsos and Qare, tried to identify the reasons that hinder them from making an appointment with a psychologist or psychiatrist.
Firstly, 43% of people with psychological suffering admit that they do not consult because they believe that their difficulties are not “not serious enough” or that they can solve them on their own. Women are more affected by this feeling of illegitimacy since the rate climbs to 49% among them.
Psychologist: financial difficulties hinder appointments
Despite the implementation of the “Mon Parcours Psy” system, which allows you to benefit from 8 sessions per year reimbursed at 60% by health insurance (the remaining 40% are covered by mutual insurance companies), 34% of respondents say they do not not go to the psychologist for financial matters. This problem is much more present among women: 62.8% of French women do without consultation for this reason.
Some people also stay away from practices because of a bad past experience with a professional (16%). The other reasons mentioned are: refusal to talk about one’s intimacy (15%), fear of taking the plunge (14%), worry about spending too much time in consultation and/or never seeing the end of it ( 14%).
