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The pandemic has put the issue of mental health at the heart of the national debate. And all the presidential candidates interviewed by Doctissimo seem to be aware of this. More “humanistic” reforms, increase in the budget allocated to mental health, creation of new institutions: here are their proposals.
The health crisis has highlighted the mental health problems of the French population, placing the subject as a major public health issue. Three million French people suffer from severe mental disorders, according to Public health France. Among the 10 candidates interviewed, all are aware of the catalytic role that the pandemic has played on mental health. On the left as on the right, they propose to reform the current system and to allocate more resources to this still taboo subject.
On the left: a more “humanistic” system
Jean-Luc Melenchon makes mental health the “five-year priority”. The LFI candidate wishes to set up “a national plan for psychiatry and child psychiatry”. This plan will go through “strengthening its financial and human resources in hospital and extra-hospital services”, “the simplification of mental health care pathways” and “increasing the time allocated to psychiatry in training for care professions”. According to him, certification procedures must be “deleted” because they “dehumanize the care process”.
Yannick Jadotmeanwhile, account “rebuild a system of preventive and curative psychiatric care combining a real psychiatry of humanist sector, well-treating, authorizing a multidisciplinary care, decompartmentalized, close to patients and their entourage, more egalitarian and humanist”. He also wants to double the budget for research in psychiatry and mental health. According to him, prevention in mental health is essential, especially with “marginalized or precarious populations at risk (single-parent families, migrants, homeless, farmers, students)”, who would go through “the development of psychologist positions in existing structures (Maternal and Child Protection, association, town hall, University Psychological Assistance Office)”. The environmental candidate advocates a “reimbursement of city psychology by social security without time limit and removal of the obligation that a person be referred to a psychologist reimbursed only by an attending physician”. Finally, it wishes to invest in research in psychiatry and mental health.
Anne Hidalgo chose mental health “as a great cause for his quinquennium”. It will therefore propose to Parliament “a framework law to define the objectives to be achieved, for example to set the objective of a 20% reduction in suicides in 5 years”. According to the PS candidate, the issue of funding is “essential”: she advocates a “increase in annual budgets of at least 4 billion euros over 5 years will be implemented”. Finally, she wants more psychiatrists to be trained and proposes the upgrading of the profession of psychologist.
Philippe Poutoumeanwhile, argues for a more humanistic public psychiatry. “There is an urgent need to give the means to public psychiatry so that it is able to welcome with dignity and humanely any person in need of psychic care, as demanded by the citizen foundations of psychic care”he replied to Doctissimo.
Nathalie Artaud did not comment on the issue of mental health.
Right: new institutions, new governance
Valerie Pécressealso has mental health “one of the three great causes of his mandate”. She proposes the creation of a National Institute of Mental Health, “on the model of the Institute for Cancer”. This Institute will be responsible for “to define France’s strategic priorities in terms of mental health, to coordinate the action of the actors and to support the research effort”. Candidate LR also wants to increase the number of professionals trained in mental health“in initial and continuous training”. She evokes “digital tools” to improve the mental health system.
Marine Le Pen suggests a “mental health and psychiatry framework law” with “a structural and budgetary component”. “I plan many measures concerning, among other things, support for child psychiatry, the organization of screening and the course of care for children with neurodevelopmental disorders, direct access to psychologists/psychotherapists with better remuneration and reimbursement for their activity. ”, she announced to Doctissimo. The RN candidate claims a “interministerial delegation for mental health and psychiatry, under the aegis of the Prime Minister”.
Nicolas Dupont-Aignan proposes to increase the salary of psychiatric nurses, to upgrade the profession and to double their numbers. “There is an urgent need to rebuild and fund new medical-psychological centers (CMP)”said the candidate of Stand up France at Doctissimo. He also wishessupervise the prescription of psychiatric drugs so that it is limited and that people who suffer mentally can be accompanied without being immediately treated”.
The other candidates
Emmanuel Macron propose “ambitious prevention programs at all ages of life (prevention of postpartum depression, depression in the elderly, the mental health of our young people, etc.), identification of mental disorders in schools and training for first mental health relief”. The LREM candidate also advocates the recognition of the profession of clinical psychologist as “a health profession in its own right”.
John Lassallemeanwhile, did not comment on the topic of mental health.
The candidates of the PCF Fabien Roussel and of Reconquête Eric Zemmour did not answer our questionnaire, that is why their proposals are not included in our article. Nathalie Arthaud and Jean Lassale did not. speeches on the subject of mental health. You can find all the answers to our questionnaire on the health issues of the different candidates: Emmanuel Macron, Marine Le Pen, Jean-Luc Melenchon, Valerie Pécresse, Yannick Jadot, Anne Hidalgo, Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, Philippe Poutou and Nathalie Arthaud.