Hand-embroidered earrings, scented bags, aromatic herbs, but above all a great desire to talk about oneself. There was this and much more at the banquet set up at the Asst in Crema on the occasion of the Mental Health Day, last 10 October. At stake are the patients and the fruit of the activities carried out in the context of rehabilitation programs. The initiative was part of the H open day of mental health promoted by Wave Foundation, National Observatory on Women’s and Gender Health. Now in its ninth edition, the event aimed to raise awareness of the population onimportance of early diagnosis and facilitating access to carehelping to overcome prejudices, stigma and fears related to mental illness.
Over 150,000 new cases of depression
According to the data of the Mental Health Report 2021 collected by the Mental Health Information System (Sism) of the Ministry of Health, there were 728,338 people with psychiatric diseases assisted by specialist services in 2020, 53.6 percent represented by women. In fact, in 2021 it is estimated that in Italy there were over 2 out of 10 people with a severe or mild and moderate mental disorder. In particular, due to the pandemic, according to the Italian Society of Neuropsychopharmacology (Sinpf), at least 150,000 new cases of depression due only to the loss of work generated by the current economic crisis. Women are especially at high risk: more predisposed to depression and more affected in the workplace by Covid-19.
Early diagnosis
As he explains Francesca Merzagora, president of the Onda Foundation: “These disorders have a negative impact on the quality and quantity of life, affecting all areas, personal, affective-family, socio-relational and working. This is why it is important to intervene as soon as possible. Asking for help is the first fundamental step to tackle the problem “. The hospitals of the Bollini rosa network, the mental health departments and the territorial structures that have joined the initiative have offered free clinical, diagnostic and information services, such as psychiatric visits, psychological interviews, listening desks, test administration, information points, lectures and distribution of information material for anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, mood and sleep disorders, psychosis and eating disorders. Onda Foundation, since 2007, has awarded hospitals that provide services dedicated to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the main female pathologies the recognition of pink stickers. The network, made up of 354 hospitals located throughout the countrysupports the institution in promoting, even within hospitals, a gender approach in definition and planning.