“The situation of isolation, uncertainty about the future, loss and depression may lead to an increase in anxiety and depressive problems”, states the report “State Nation and Public Policy”, by ISCTE.

However, “mental disorders that will develop or worsen in the coming months are particularly worrying, mainly due to the serious social and economic consequences of this public health crisis”

The analysis was made by health economist and hospital manager Ana Sofia Ferreira, by psychiatrist Manuela Silva, from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Lisbon, and Julian Perelman, from the National School of Public Health, in which they highlight that Portugal is in 5th place, among the OECD countries in the consumption of antidepressants.

Although mental health is considered a health priority “and the National Mental Health Plan has been established, extending to 2020, due to lack of political momentum, adequate funding and capacity to implement health necessary changes, this plan has fallen far short of the objectives it intended to achieve.”

People with severe mental disorders are “the most vulnerable” in society, “forgotten, discredited, hidden and mistreated for centuries”, they underlined.

Scientific evidence shows that their treatment must be based on clinical support and integrated psychosocial care programs, provided by the community and multidisciplinary teams, as recommended in the PNSM, but in Portugal the treatment of most of these patients continues to be limited to medication, without access to a psychosocial rehab plan.