warn Argentina could face a “real epidemic”

Coronavirus cases are on the decline, but the aftereffects will be visible for a long time. In Argentina, stress, anxiety, anxiety and depression have been increasing since March 2020 and could cause “A real epidemic” at the national level, warned the experts. Within the framework of World Mental Health Day, which is being held this Sunday, called not to minimize the symptoms and to make the necessary medical consultations.

“The pandemic has changed every aspect that makes up the definition of mental health, understood as’ a state of well-being in which the person realizes his capacities and is able to cope with the normal stresses of life, work in a way productive and contributing to their community, ”say specialists from the Argentine Association of Psychiatrists (AAP).

A WHO investigation had already warned in mid-2020 that the pandemic had resulted in a wave of mental health disorders, for the general population because of the fear of contagion, anxiety due to economic problems and prolonged periods of isolation.

But it also affected patients who had pre-pandemic diagnoses who had their treatments changed or interrupted, health workers, patients recovered from Covid-19 and those who have gone through complex duels, for not having been able to accompany or dismiss a loved one as before.

“All these different profiles give us the guideline that the pandemic a and will add a large number of people with mental disorders to a health system which was already at the limit of its capacities ”, underlined the president of the Argentinian Association of Psychiatrists (AAP), Ricardo Corral.

The awakening of the AAP is given as part of the awareness campaign “Vaccination, Prevention and Control”, who jointly run 32 medical societies with the coordination of the Argentine Chamber of Medicinal Specialties so that the good disease management beyond Covid-19.

Corral explained to Bugle that nearly 1,800 healthcare professionals were interviewed by the association: “We found eye-catching indicators anxiety and insomnia and mood disorders, as well as an increase in the consumption of psychotropic drugs and alcohol, due to the uncertainty and restrictions caused by the pandemic ”.

“Also, unfortunately, we have seen very vulnerable groups affectedespecially in children and adolescents, who were very late in their development and educational progress, and in age groups, who already live with much more worry about the possibility of falling ill and die, ”added the specialist.

Among the women, stressed that “those who were in conditions of harassment and domestic violence were more affected because they were more exposed to the pathological link”, he added.

Also economy it turned out to be a trigger. “The economic and social crisis exacerbates this, like any stressor in a cataclysmic situation, 50% of the population below the poverty line,” Corral said.

Corral stressed that sectors of the population with the least economic resources, housing and education are most at risk of becoming ill and developing mental disorders.

Traffic restrictions, on the other hand, have created barriers for people to access their medical consultations, both for mental health and otherwise. At that time, “among the people who required checks and could not access drugs, they suffered, in many cases, decompensations,” he assured this newspaper.

Consult specialists

“This new reality represents an opportunity to join forces between the different disciplines related to its approach, in order to prepare us for what should be almost an epidemic of demands, and to be able to reach more people with the care they need. need, “said the specialist.

Corral also called “not to reduce mental disorders to mere” mental illness “, a ambiguous notion this includes anyone who is going through a difficulty, as this can make the most serious clinical forms of mental suffering invisible and violate the right of those affected to receive help ”.

“There is no behavior more stigmatizing than ignore the existence of a disorder that affects an individual’s life and their environment, trivializing or minimizing their suffering, ”he said.

From the AAP, they recalled that there is scientific proof this proves that intervening in time, before the first episodes and in an interdisciplinary manner, is an effective strategy to mitigate the effects of ailments, thereby reducing the burden of disease and the potential need for hospitalizations.

Based on the diagnosis, depending on the evolution of symptoms and the stage of treatment in which each patient is in, the treating health team will determine, together with the patient and his environment, which pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapy should be followed. , when they are able to reintegrate into different contexts such as social, professional, school or school and when hospitalization is necessary, in the most complex cases.

“The message of hope What we want to bring to the community on this World Day is that it can be better. Many disorders can progress favorably with the right approach and follow-up over time. Sometimes the hardest step is getting help and going to the health care professional who is ready to help. From there, it’s a team effort and there is a lot to be done to move forward on the path to a better life, ”they concluded from the Argentinian Association of Psychiatrists.