Take care of your mental health and get professional help from a psychologist, psychotherapist or psychiatrist. Now it’s easier than you think!
Mental condition is as important to our health as the physical form of the organism. Therefore, from an early age, you need to take care of it: learn how to manage emotions, create relationships with people around you, cultivate your passions, regularly practice your favorite sport and get enough sleep. It is also good to limit the flow of negative information provided by the media and not spend too much time in front of the screen of a laptop or smartphone, because too intense contact with electronic equipment is also not good for our mind. Although following these simple rules does not seem particularly difficult, we do not always remember about them in our daily rush. We also often forget how important it is to care for mental balance in the case of the youngest members of our families. They are just learning how to deal with the difficult world of emotions and how to build social bonds. In addition, their organisms have not fully developed mechanisms responsible for working through stressful situations. No wonder then that an increasing number of children and adolescents suffer from all sorts of mental problems: according to experts, this phenomenon affects up to 20% of young people. Their psyche could also be adversely affected by the pandemic and the associated forced isolation and the need for remote learning.
That is why the Ministry of Health prepared a nationwide social campaign under the slogan ““Say what you feel. Unmask your emotions “ addressed to the youngest Poles and their parents. The aim of the project is to popularize knowledge about mental and emotional problems and to indicate where to get professional help from a psychologist, psychotherapist or psychiatrist the fastest. Communicating this important information to as many people as possible is all the more important as the mental health care system now operates under completely new rules.
— The new model of care is based on three levels. The first is community psychological and psychotherapeutic care centers for children and adolescents, where you can count on the help of psychologists, psychotherapists and community therapists. Ultimately, about 400 centers of this type are to be created, so young people in all poviats will have easy access to them. The second level consists of mental health centers, where, if necessary, you can consult a child and adolescent psychiatrist and be referred to a psychiatric day ward. The third tier, on the other hand, is the means of highly specialized twenty-four-hour psychiatric care – explains the Minister of Health Adam Niedzielski.
Thanks to the changes introduced, children and adolescents with mental problems will be able to receive professional psychological or psychiatric support as soon as the first symptoms of a crisis appear. Quick intervention will not only make them feel better and will be able to return to everyday functioning, but most of all their health will not worsen, so pharmacological treatment or a hospital stay may not be needed. Importantly, in such centers, the closest of young patients will also be able to benefit from the help of a psychologist or psychotherapist.
— Sometimes psychological support is needed to help the family survive a difficult time, to help you organize in your mind what is happening with their child. It is also very difficult for parents if, for example, we diagnose a child with schizophrenia, if we diagnose bipolar disorder, if the child is self-harming or has tried to commit suicide. Sometimes it is worth visiting a psychologist, not only to find out how to help your child, but also to deal with your own emotions more easily. You have to be healthy to support another person – claims prof. Agnieszka Słopień, head of the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry of the Medical University of K. Marcinkowski in Poznań and a national consultant in the field of psychotherapy for children and adolescents.
In order to start psychotherapy, minors must obtain the consent of their parents or adult guardians. You will not need a referral from your GP before signing up or making your first appointment. It is worth remembering that professional psychological or psychiatric support is offered to everyone, including people who do not have health insurance.
One of the impulses to conduct the Campaign was also the transfer of knowledge about the symptoms characteristic of various mental and emotional problems faced by children and teenagers. What symptoms should parents and guardians look for? When is the situation disturbing and it will be necessary to seek help from a specialist? When to make an appointment with a psychologist or psychotherapist, and in what case will a consultation with a psychiatrist be necessary?
– Any change in functioning should attract the attention of adults. Withdrawal, reluctance to talk, lack of joy, excessive fear. All the behaviors that the child or adolescent had not experienced before. Occasionally, there may even be somatic symptoms such as headaches, vomiting. You may not always need to see a psychiatrist right away. If a young person is not coping, is experiencing a chronic crisis, psychotherapeutic care may be needed. However, if there is any threat to the life and health of a young patient, suicidal intentions appear, or worsening of psychotic or depressive symptoms, it is urgent to contact a psychiatrist. In such a situation, it may be necessary to start pharmacotherapy – explain prof. Agnieszka Słopień.
If parents or guardians suspect that a mental crisis is so serious that it may endanger the life and health of the child, do not hesitate to call the emergency number (112) or urgently contact the nearest Hospital Emergency Department (SOR).
Sometimes, in a difficult moment in life, it can be extremely helpful for a young person to simply have a friendly telephone conversation with a psychologist or psychotherapist who will listen, understand and organize support. Therefore, one of the most important intentions of the Campaign is to provide extensive information on the joint project of the Ministry of Health and the Ombudsman for Children’s Rights, i.e. a special hotline – 800 12 12 12 addressed to children, adolescents and their parents and guardians. The connection is free and can be used 7 hours a day, 24 days a week. On the website of the Ombudsman for Children, there is also a public chat, which does not require logging in or installing any application.
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