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At the National Human Rights Forum, several discussions on sensitive public issues were held to commemorate Human Rights Day. One of them is the negative impact of a pandemic on people’s psychological health.
The problem of social residences
The discussion focused mainly on social care homes. According to experts, the access system to these institutions is inadequate. In many cases, people who ask for help are cut off from society, making their situation even more difficult.
As the experts say, the living conditions in these institutions are inadequate and sometimes even traumatic. According to Karilė Levickaitė, director of the public institution “Perspectives on Mental Health”, during the pandemic there were large outbreaks of coronavirus in social care institutions. In total, some 1,800 cases of infection have already been registered in these institutions, and even around 10 percent. the infected died.
“We just realized that these institutions were uninhabitable. The problems that we had for many years are now very hungry, ”said K. Levickaitė during the conversation.
According to experts, the admission criteria to these institutions are not entirely clear. People who get there often don’t get the help they need. In the wake of the pandemic, there was more talk about unsuitable conditions. A major problem arises when residents of social care homes become infected with COVID-19. Those infected must be isolated.
“In a closed space, people are even more closed”, comments K. Levickaitė.
Experts say that a review of living conditions in these institutions raises the question of whether human rights are respected.
It was considered whether the state should increase funding or increase its involvement in mental health issues.
Ramunė Mazaliauskienė, president of the Lithuanian Psychiatric Association, believes that there are problems in the system that must be solved, but the state should not give up its responsibility either.
“It must be a big change to get them out of there. First of all, the changes must be in society, we must not push them to the margins, but integrate them ”, shared R. Mazaliauskienė.
Private psychologists don’t treat better
Another public problem was the general reluctance of the public to seek help. According to experts, emotional health is shrouded in many myths. One of them is that higher quality services are provided in private institutions.
R. Mazaliauskienė is convinced that the quality of treatment in public and private institutions is very similar. However, there is the problem that there may be a shortage of doctors in the public institutions themselves.
“Psychotherapists are not going to work in the public sector. We have a number of good jobs for psychotherapists and psychotherapists. Probably an underpayment. It is not worth it for a psychotherapist to come to work in a state institution, ”said R. Mazaliauskienė.
According to experts, it would help if a redistribution of funds. However, there is a lack of agreement among mental health professionals themselves.
“Up to 90 percent. The funds are allocated to drugs, hospitals and residential care institutions. That alone means that we have to make political decisions. Whenever these problems were raised, the politicians said that we did not agree here” said Dainius Pūras, Director of the Institute for Human Rights Monitoring and Professor at Vilnius University.
Ignas Rubak, head of the mental health department of the Ministry of Health, says there is a change on the issue, but a greater allocation of funds will depend on the new government.
However, there are plans to innovate in the system. It is planned to include in the system a popular method of providing assistance abroad: mutual assistance groups.
More than half the population has difficulties
During the event, the data of the research carried out by the Public Institution “Perspectives in Mental Health” were also presented. The study aims to assess how everyone’s right to mental health and the rights of people with psychosocial disabilities are guaranteed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Of the 939 people who participated in the study, 67 percent. He claimed to have experienced mental health difficulties. Of the more than 400 people who have had psychological difficulties to date, a fifth have sought professional help. More than half of those who sought help paid for the services.
Those who did not seek help said that the lack of services was due to the unavailability of services, some did not dare to ask for help, were ashamed and were convinced that no one would help.
This year, the National Human Rights Forum is dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.
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