The havoc that the covid pandemic caused on mental health is going down in history and the cases that resort to psychiatry service of the Soria Hospital Complex They are in a downward phase, in parameters of previous years, according to the head of the Psychiatry Service, Ricardo Martínez. But if in general a normality is being recovered in the influx of patients, “which is also significant,” he stressed, which The cases of those under 18 years of age have skyrocketed who have to go to the psychiatrist for their mental health problems.
«The most notable thing that we have observed in the psychiatry service is the increase in child-youth population. A problem like never before and the demand has run amok,” acknowledged Martínez, who estimates that more than double the care provided to minors compared to what happened before the pandemic, with a “very high rate.” In fact, he added, “every year increase 50% compared to the previous year». And the worst of all is that the trend is continuing.
In general, these are situations of emotional instability that generate emotional and behavioral problems, “and that is worrying,” he said. «Social change affects them, they find themselves increasingly alone, less socialized and they resort to situations for which they are not prepared. The window that represents Internet It gives them information that the authorities have to regulate,” explained the specialist, who added that “access to information is spectacular and they confuse concepts that an adult can analyze, but in the case of a child, they are left with the first impact. and that generates an imprint that remains for years.
That is why it is so important prevention. The service, located in the Virgen del Mirón Hospitalhas an exclusive team for minors with a psychiatrist, a psychologist and a nurse, who coordinate with schools, social services and those responsible for caring for minors. The increase in demand from minors motivated the creation of this team that sees the volume of work continue to grow.
In total, the psychiatry service of the Soria Care Complex serves 1,200 new queries and 200 of them are minors. Of the global figure, about 800 are specific to psychiatry and 400 to psychology. The two rehabilitation devices for chronic patients register about 60 annual admissions. It must be remembered that this unit had to close the summer of last year due to lack of doctors.
Martínez clarified that the worst moments after the covid pandemic“that madness of consultations.” “There were two very low years and then there was an avalanche because there were those who were very damaged, because they were afraid.” Once this stage has been passed, the specialist indicated that “the mental health of the people of Soriano is improving”, so that the pressure on the service, with few professionals currently, has been decreasing. “We are saturated but not oversaturated,” he acknowledged. And all this because people have been “normalizing their behaviors” after the difficult period for mental health that was the pandemic.
The mental problems of patients The usual ones continue to be anxiety, depression, adaptive disorders in the face of life circumstances that they cannot overcome, and more serious disorders such as psychotic disorders in which the patient loses contact with reality. “These types of cases do not suffer variations, the figures are maintained because they are due to genetics and environmental factors and the percentage is the usual one,” said the doctor.
Regarding hospital admissions, they are motivated above all by adaptive problems, depression and behavioral problems. “Those people who want to disappear and come urgently,” he added about the most extreme cases, who arrive either on their own initiative or at the request of families.
The current employment situation in the service of the Virgen del Mirón Hospital, with only four active psychiatrists out of a staff of eight – one sick leave and three vacancies – means that fewer consultations are recorded, which causes hospital admissions to increase. The average per year is 310 patients requiring admission in psychiatry. “It’s not much more but due to the job insecurity it is noticeable,” said the head of the service, who considered that “the consultation is a dam that keeps the patient at home.” If it is not possible to get through it in time, the problem ends in admission.
“We lack professionals”said Martínez, who is also close to retirement. And that means that each active physician has to increase the number of consultations.
«The shared effort can be maintained for a while. “My team has given everything they had to give,” he highlighted. But the situation is complicated with an aging workforce, which has suffered two retirements and a transfer, which has diminished its ability to act.
“It is almost impossible to find relief due to health policy for years and no thought was given to retirements,” acknowledged the head of the psychiatry service at the Soria Hospital Complex, where only four psychiatrists are active – two of them over 55 years old – of a staff of eight, with three vacancies and one sick leave, expected until January. “We are at the limit, there is no further reduction to maintain activity,” warned Martínez, who is already close to retirement. For that reason, psychiatrists from the hospitals of Burgos and Valladolid travel to Soria to cover the guards. Since June, they have been coming four days a week, from Thursday to Sunday. There are 14 professionals who take turns.
«We are working on different options and we hope for support from other areas. We are in permanent contact with Madrid and Zaragoza, which generate many specialists,” said Martínez, who assured that it is difficult for psychiatrists to want to come to Soria. In fact, the two positions that the Soria Health Care Management filled have not been incorporated, in one case due to a union release and in the other due to a service commission.
Martínez regretted that professionals “prefer to work precariously in other areas”, instead of having a position in Soria, where the psychiatry service received, before 2020, “awards and recognition for its operation.” The rehabilitation was also “cutting edge.” He highlighted that Soria was the first to have an employment center for the sick created in 1998 and had a care network “which was the envy, but when there were professionals.” It is like a vicious circle, because the fewer professionals, the less ability to maintain past achievements.