The number of people with mental health problems is increasing/ Doctor: Taking care of the mind is taking care of life

2025-10-10 12:09:00, Sociale CNA

The number of people with mental health problems is increasing/ Doctor: Taking

On World Mental Health Day, attention is focused on the importance of caring for an individual's emotional and psychological state, an often neglected but essential aspect for overall well-being.

On this symbolic day, psychiatrist Nikolina Bode from Korça emphasizes that in recent years there has been a significant increase in the number of people facing mental health problems, including more and more young people and children. The phenomenon, according to her, is appearing at an increasingly early age and is closely related to the social, economic and family changes that society is experiencing.

" We notice in our work that there is an increase in people suffering from mental health problems compared to previous years. The age of onset of mental health problems is decreasing, we have young and young people suffering, so we have more and more young and young people suffering ," said the doctor.

According to global data, more than one in four people experience mental health disorders, while the majority of them do not seek professional help.

The number of people with mental health problems is increasing/ Doctor: Taking

This is due to several factors such as the lack of professionals, distance from specialized centers, treatment costs, but also the stigmatization of mental illnesses that often causes people to hide their symptoms.

" Based on world statistics, it is said that more than 1 in 4 people suffer from mental health problems and 70% of them are not treated. Only a small part receives treatment due to many reasons, including the distance and costs in remote areas to specialized centers. The lack of professionals in all public institutions, where there is a shortage of psychologists and counselors. Another factor is the lack of residential institutions for the growing demands of lonely people who suffer from health and another reason is the concealment of symptoms such as insomnia, anxiety, depression, which bring serious mental health consequences ," said Bode.

At the center where Dr. Bode works, ten to fifteen people seek help every day, a number that indicates the increasing demand for psychiatric and psychological services. Most cases are related to problems stemming from economic factors, unemployment, loneliness and emigration, which have contributed to the breakdown of family and social ties, especially among the elderly.

" The daily average reaches 10-15 people per day, who seek help at our center. It is the low socio-economic level related to unemployment, loneliness, emigration that has weakened family ties, most notably for the elderly. The category of people who have problems with addiction to narcotic substances and technology users who are an early age group, children who are affected by mental health problems, thus reducing the age of onset of these problems ," said the psychiatrist.

Another growing concern is the cases of children with developmental and speech delays, which indicate that many parents, although physically present, are emotionally absent from the process of raising and educating their children. The phenomenon is also linked to the early use of technology, which often replaces direct interaction between parents and children.

" I would start the problem early, with developmental delays in children, speech problems, I have seen children who speak English and not Albanian, and this surprised me. This shows that the parents are physically but not emotionally close to the child's growth and education ," said Bode.

On this international day, doctor Nikolina Bode underlines that mental health care is part of caring for the life and well-being of every individual.

She appeals for mental health not to be seen as taboo, but as an integral part of overall health, because taking care of the mind means taking care of yourself, your family, and your society./ CNA