Psychiatric clinics and psychiatry: paths to the future
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In 2022, almost one in five Swiss stated that their well-being was affected by mental health problems. However, the number of unreported cases is significantly higher. It is estimated that a third of the population is affected. Only half of those affected seek support in a psychiatric clinic or other helping facility.
Why is it important to seek treatment in psychiatric clinics?
The impact that mental illness has on everyday life can be very different. The range is wide and includes, for example
- Sleep disorders
- nervousness
- listlessness
- lack of concentration
- irrational fears
- delusions of persecution
- suicidal thoughts
Professional help should be sought at the latest when the problems go beyond typical stress symptoms such as insomnia. Otherwise, coping with everyday life can become increasingly challenging, and relatives, friends and colleagues often suffer as a result. Dealing with mentally ill people is often difficult, as outsiders find it hard to understand what they are going through. Although mental illnesses are receiving more and more attention, they are still often not taken seriously enough. Many people are therefore afraid to talk about their problems. As a result, they do not turn to help services such as psychiatric clinics.
Yet the treatment of mental illnesses is just as important as illnesses that affect the body. The psyche is directly linked to physical health. For example, symptoms of stress quickly have a negative impact on physical health. Problems with blood pressure, cluster headaches and migraines, irritation of the gastrointestinal tract and a weakened immune system can occur, for example.
Not to mention the direct consequences of mental illness, such as inflicting injuries on one's own body or even suicide attempts. These aspects alone show how important it is to discuss mental health problems with specialists, for example in psychiatric clinics.
About the current psychiatric service structures
In Switzerland, the same service reimbursements apply to the treatment of psychiatric illnesses as for somatic illnesses. Both human medicine and psychology offer regulated specializations in psychiatry.
However, there will be a shortage of doctors with a specialist qualification in psychiatry and psychotherapy in the future. This applies to children and adolescents as well as adults.
When does the path lead to psychiatric clinics?
Mental illnesses can be treated both on an outpatient and inpatient basis. The decisive factor is the patient's state of health. Outpatient services are used when the patient's state of health is largely stable. In primary care, doctors primarily treat people with addictions or depression. This is often accompanied by somatic complaints.
Specific mental illnesses, such as severe anxiety disorders, paranoia or bipolarity, are treated by specialists in psychiatry and psychotherapy. It is not uncommon for them to be admitted to psychiatric clinics for this purpose. Is the patient's state of health unstable, can they no longer cope with everyday life on their own or is the integrity of their body in danger? Then a stay in a clinic is often ordered.
What intermediate pathway is there between inpatient stays in psychiatric clinics and outpatient treatment?
So-called intermediate care structures exist. They combine various treatment services that close the gap between outpatient and inpatient treatment. They are primarily offered in outpatient clinics and day clinics.
Patients are cared for there by interprofessional treatment teams on a daily or weekly basis, depending on their needs. The Swiss are happy to take up this offer. The number of consultations has almost doubled within a decade.
How will diagnoses of mental illness change in the future?
In the future, there will be new mental illnesses and, accordingly, new diagnoses. For example, it is highly likely that new forms of addiction and behavioral disorders will develop.
However, doctors will not lose sight of existing diagnoses. The understanding of currently known illnesses will intensify. This applies equally at a phenotypic and biological level. As a result, they will be able to subspecify better and develop more targeted treatments.
How will the patient field in psychiatry change in the future?
Psychiatric patients will probably be older in the future. They will mainly live in cities and more migrants will also seek treatment.
A completely new population group will also emerge that does not currently do so. These are people who are growing up in the digital age. They will use various digital tools to support the treatment of mental illnesses as well as coaching or lifestyle modifications.
What challenges will psychiatric clinics and other facilities face in the future?
In the future, more and more Swiss people will make use of psychiatric treatment services. One of the greatest challenges facing the specialist area will therefore be to adapt its services accordingly. New approaches are required to meet increasing demand and changing needs. The aim is to provide evidence-based treatment for all patient groups.
In order to achieve this, it will be necessary to network existing services. A professionalization of admission options, for example through track concepts, will probably also prove helpful. A graduated approach that adapts to the severity of the diagnoses will also be useful.
A common demand is emerging in the international specialist literature: medical and psychiatric diagnoses should continue to converge. This applies equally to the understanding of illnesses and their treatment.
The starting point for this demand is that mental illnesses often go hand in hand with somatic complaints. Holistic therapy is therefore required in order to offer patients comprehensive help. Only then can such problems be successfully treated and cured holistically.
It may seem contradictory at first to consider mental and somatic illnesses at the same time, but the following example proves the opposite. Trauma experienced in childhood and inflammatory diseases have similar biological mechanisms. They can also trigger the same mental and physical illnesses.
Optimal psychiatric treatment is therefore only possible through collaborative work between specialists from general medicine and psychiatry.
Find the right psychiatric Spitex with OPAN
If your relative suffers from a mental illness, they do not necessarily have to be admitted to an inpatient clinic. If they need help coping with everyday life but do not require 24-hour care, the specialists at a psychiatric Spitex can provide support.
Panic attacks, detachment from reality, confusion and similar symptoms can pose major challenges for mentally ill people. Mental limitations often simply do not allow certain processes to take place and the seemingly easiest tasks become impossible. This has nothing to do with the fact that sufferers are physically unable to do so. It is the mind that puts a stop to these processes.
Clients of psychiatric Spitex not only receive support in coping with everyday life. The specialists help them to take medication and change dressings in the event of injuries caused by their mental illness. They also help their clients to perceive their environment in real terms.
Depending on the illness, respect for oneself and one's body may also need to be re-established. The instinct for self-preservation and the urge for physical integrity, which is in the human genes, may also need to be reactivated. We will be happy to help you find suitable psychiatric Spitex for your relative.
On our platform, we will show you various points of contact in your area and you can make a choice together. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions!