Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

In Slovakia, one in five people experiences mental disorder. Mental illness tends to start early in life, which makes it the most prevalent disease among people of working age. It accounts for a third of expenditures on disability benefits, increases unemployment and deepens poverty. There is a substantial gap in psychological care for patients who receive adequate treatment and those who need it, but do not get it. Provision of appropriate psychological therapy early on could prevent and reduce much of the negative impact of mental illness. The experiences from IAPT initiative in England where evidence based psychological therapies are made widely accessible can serve as a guide. IAPT initiative operates stepped care model with emphasis on starting with low intensity interventions. By using these principles, we can fill the gap between primary care and highly specialized treatment of mental disorders in Slovakia. Early psychological intervention can help people with depression, anxiety disorders and long-term psychological conditions to get well, improve quality of life and reduce unemployment and poverty.

Type

Journal article

Journal

CESKOSLOVENSKA PSYCHOLOGIE

Publisher

Československá psychologie

Publication Date

02/09/2019

Volume

63

Pages

67 - 79

Keywords

early psychological interventions, low intensity therapy, poverty, mental illness