Neurotic and mood disorders were the most common diagnoses. Some 600,000 people were treated for neurotic disorders, which include anxiety and stress reactions, up almost 5 per cent from 572,300 a year earlier.
The figures were released as experts marked World Mental Health Day on Saturday, urging that help be available before a crisis leaves people unable to cope alone. The day was set up in 1992 by the World Federation for Mental Health to raise awareness and mobilise support.
Police officers face particular strain, experts told the Polish Press Agency (PAP). Daily exposure to aggression, violence and suffering, along with split-second decisions, makes their resilience a question of working conditions as well as personal strength.
“Psychological resilience has to be built before a crisis appears”, said psychiatrist Jerzy Pobocha, who added that a uniform offers no protection.
Izabela Solarska-Szankin, head of the Police Psychologists Unit at national police headquarters, said empathy is vital in policing but must be backed by emotional stability, good health and organisational support. Some officers avoid psychologists out of fear, she said.
“Crying does not take away a police officer’s strength – sometimes it lets him regain it”, she said.
Suicidologist Halszka Witkowska said people should not hesitate to ask directly about suicidal thoughts.
“Asking about suicidal thoughts does not put the idea of taking one’s own life into a person’s head. It may, however, open them to conversation and prompt them to seek help”, she said.
Carers of people with mental illness also need help, said Michał Opielka, a psychiatrist who heads the Mental Health Centre at the Specialist Hospital in Chorzów. Many reorganise their lives around the patient and neglect their own health, risking anxiety disorders, depression and sleep problems, he said.
He likened long-term caring to a marathon in which strength must be paced, and said carers can find support at mental health centres and in carers’ groups.
“Just as a rescuer must be safe in order to save another person, the same applies to carers”, he said.
(jh)
Source: PAP