Beds in the corridors, the abuse of direct coercion measures, the lack of facilities for the disabled – as Gazeta Prawna writes, these are only examples of numerous problems that the mentally ill struggle with. Unfortunately, there are no signs that their situation will change any time soon.
The Polish psychiatrist is in a deplorable condition. Prof. Marek Jarem, chairman of the mental health council, explained in an interview with Gazeta Prawna that everything is to blame for treating psychiatry neglectfully. For the Ministry of Health, areas of medicine such as cardiology and oncology are much more important. The problems of mentally ill people recede into the background because they do not seem so urgent.
Meanwhile, one and a half million people in our country suffer from diseases and disorders of this nature (and we are talking only about those who reported the problem to a specialist). Over the past decade, the number of outpatients treated for mental disorders has increased by as much as half. Every tenth minor is disturbed. As a result, every fifth death between the ages of 15 and 19 is a result of suicide.
Unfortunately, the changes will not be implemented quickly. The Mental Health Act 1994 was supposed to be amended, but the Ministry of Health will not be able to do so during the end of its term of office. Only a small amendment will be made. This is extremely disappointing because the changes to be included in the amendment were very promising. They took into account, inter alia, the limitation of the use of direct coercive measures – for example, immobilization.
Based on: http://serwisy.gazetaprawna.pl/