Firenze, October 11, 2024 - Mental health in Tuscany presents a worrying picture, with an increase in psychological distress among young people and adults, while access to support services remains limited. This emerges from the latest report by Ars, the Regional Health Agency of Tuscany, dated February 2024, which provides an overview of the mental health status of the population and the use of local services.
According to the report, 36% of adolescents (ages 14-19) suffer from psychological distress, characterized by anxiety, frustration, and negative moods. This figure has risen from 21.5% recorded in 2018, with a more significant impact observed among girls. However, despite this growing condition of malaise, the use of mental health services among adolescents has decreased.
The situation is no better for the adult population. In 2021, only 31,250 Tuscans aged 20 to 64 accessed mental health services at least once, down from 37,749 in 2019. The most common diagnoses concern neurotic disorders and psychoses, but there is an overall decline in the use of care. The elderly population is not exempt from mental health issues either. Among those over 65, the rate of access to mental health services fell from 13.8 per 1,000 residents in 2019 to 10.8 in 2021.
Concurrently, the use of antidepressant medications is on the rise: Tuscany confirms its position as the region with the highest average daily dosage compared to the national average. The Ars report highlights that Tuscany has the highest consumption of antidepressants in Italy. The average daily dosage of medication, according to 2022 data, is 67.6 doses per 1,000 residents, compared to a national average of 45.8 doses per 1,000 residents. Additionally, the prevalence of Tuscans in regular treatment with antidepressants (defined as at least 6 prescriptions in a year) stands at 3% among those aged 18 to 64 and 10.6% among those over 65. This data confirms a steady trend in the use of antidepressants, which has remained relatively stable over the past 10 years, with a higher prevalence among women, both in terms of diagnoses and treatment adherence.
Since September 16, 2024, the base psychologist service, which could help improve the mental health of Tuscans, is active in all Tuscan health authorities. The aim is to intercept early and prevent the chronicization or acute forms of psychological distress, which can arise from grief, job loss, a medical diagnosis, or in the context of prevention and education for care and well-being. This is a first level of assistance to eventually direct the patient to a specialist, and family doctors and pediatricians will request the visit and take charge of the base psychologist.
The base psychologist will receive the request and, once taking charge of the patient, will be responsible for developing a psychological support program aimed at early detection of distress and timely intervention on the patient's psycho-social issues.
For now, there are eight base psychologists in Tuscany, three of whom are for the central Tuscany health authority. The service is already active in Florence at the community houses 'Morgagni' and 'Le Piagge', while it will also start at the 'Dalla piccola' facility on October 30, 2024.
Three base psychologists will work in the southern eastern Tuscany health authority: at the health house Arca di Fontebecci in Siena, at the health house San Giovanni Valdarno in the province of Arezzo, and at the Cot in Orbetello in the province of Grosseto, where the position will be present three days a week.
In the northern western Tuscany health authority, the two recruited psychologists will be operational at the community house of Querceta, every day from Monday to Saturday.