Action Urged As Mental Illnesses Worsen In Pandemic Crisis

With the second wave of COVID-19 sweeping Europe and more lockdowns and restrictions, there will inevitably be a further impact on people’s mental health. A survey across six European countries by Angelini Pharma revealed the full extent of the pandemic on mental health, with 58% of those quizzed saying they suffered from psychological disorders.

Six thousand people were interviewed earlier this year. I am concerned about the effect on people’s mental health from being largely confined to their homes once again.

In the wake of the study’s conclusions, one of my colleagues spoke about the impact of COVID-19 restrictions, stating: “The survey confirmed that the lockdown was an experience significantly affecting people’s mental health, especially in some countries, such as Italy.

“People cannot be left alone with limited availability of professional support, ranging from general practitioners to psychologists and psychiatrists. World Mental Health Day last month provided an opportunity to highlight this issue because prejudice still surrounds these disorders.”

The survey indicated a need to question whether stigma or lack of awareness felt by some people in talking about their mental health issues is holding progress back. If we are to move from hospital to community-based mental health care in the future, then stigma needs to be tackled.

At Angelini Pharma, I am proud that we have a culture that encourages our employees to talk about their physical and mental issues. One of our employers picked up the courage to tell her story about almost dying by suicide because of mental health issues. It was uplifting.

We do also need to focus on the significant mismatch between what is spent on physical health and the funding for mental health – and that must change. Mental health affects more than one in six people across the European Union, yet just one percent of overall government health spending is dedicated to tackling the issue. So, there must be a re-evaluation of where we are going in the future.

One of the key objectives is identifying problems earlier on. An estimated 70% of mental health disorders begin in childhood and adolescence but most of those young people are not receiving the support they need as they move into adulthood. That must change. What needs to be put in place to ensure early intervention?

As I wrote in an article coinciding with World Mental Health Day: “The quality of services of Europe varies considerably and there is a need to drive improvements for patients and families.”

Pharma companies, such as Angelini Pharma, also have a role to play in tackling mental health issues through research and development in mental health, thereby, helping people transform their lives. We are working closely with teams of acclaimed professionals and groups of people affected to make everyone feel at ease and comfortable in talking about their issues.

COVID-19 will continue to present society with huge challenges for some time to come. Its impact on mental health has provided a wake-up call. The days of neglecting and the underfunding of this illness must end. The time for real action is now.

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Angelini Pharma is supporting a Politico virtual panel event one month from today <December 3rd> titled Making Mental Health Matter, aimed at encouraging as wide as possible discussion on this subject. I will be kicking off proceedings with a short introduction at the event laying out the issues. I do hope you will join us online.