Mental health: Medical Association warns of dramatic supply gap!

Mental health: Medical Association warns of dramatic supply gap!

Vienna, Österreich - The mental health of children and adolescents in Austria faces major challenges. The Austrian Medical Association alarms that the waiting times for treatments in child and adolescent psychiatry have increased dramatically. Chamber President Johannes Steinhart calls for targeted investments and better integration of the supply structures in order to meet the increasing demand. According to vienna.at the median-waiting time in the previous year was 90 days, which is the longest waiting time under all fields.

The fact that 40% of the ordinations in child and adolescent psychiatry no longer accept new patients is particularly worrying. In adult psychiatry, the waiting time is 37 days, while 20% of the ordinations are busy. The number of acute psychiatric emergencies in children and adolescents has increased by 80% since 2020, from 1,000 to 1,800 cases. A decline in emergencies after pandemic is still not recognizable.

increasing pressure on the help systems

More than 66% of child and adolescent psychotherapists (KJP) have increased their treatment hours since the beginning of corona apandemy in order to meet the increased demand. However, the waiting period almost doubled to a therapy place - from an average of 14.4 weeks two years ago to 25.3 weeks today, as a study from Germany shows The medical center . Inquiries for psychotherapeutic help are increasingly urgent, whereby the patients often appear desperate.

The pressure on the help systems grows. The health, school and youth welfare systems are overloaded. Experts demand an adjustment of the supply system because the current structure with the increased needs cannot keep up. The most common mental disorders in adolescence are depressive disorders, eating disorders and anxiety disorders, which are widespread in girls between the ages of 15 and 19 according to a report .

need for action and prevention

The Medical Association also warns of an upcoming wave of retirement, since 24% of the child psychiatrist and 37% of adult psychiatrists will retire over the next five years. In addition, 11% of child psychiatrists and 21% of adult psychiatrists are already over 65 years old. In order to remedy the lack of specialists, the Medical Association calls for the expansion of training positions and the integration of child psychiatric care in primary care units.

Strengthening psychosocial prevention is also of the greatest importance. Measures such as mandatory training for teachers and low-threshold offers such as online psychotherapy could help improve the situation. Healthy ways of life should be put into focus, since new fears that are caused by current crises such as the Ukraine war and the climate crisis could also have negative effects on mental health.

Overall, it is clear that the increasing number of mental illnesses in children and adolescents must be tackled with a well -structured and supportive system. The need for action is enormous, and only through coordinated measures can future access to psychotherapeutic treatments be ensured for the younger Generation.