Psychiatria pre prax 1/2020

Second degree of psychological care for mental illness

In the treatment of mental illnesses in Slovakia and in the Czech Republic, there is a lack of intermediate treatment between primary and specialized care for mental illnesses and the treatment of anxiety disorders and depression is poorly available and insufficiently effective. These conclusions are based on data from the Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic, an epidemiological study in Slovakia and are consistent with data from other countries. This has significant negative economic impacts on society and on the quality of life of those affected. The inspiration for changing this negative state is the introduction of a second degree of mental health care (less intensive psychological therapy), modeled by the English IAPT centers, where the availability and quality of mental health care and anxiety and depressive symptoms in chronic somatic diseases have been significantly increased.

Keywords: Second degree of psychological care, its importance and introduction