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Experts insist on the importance of early diagnosis at an early age / Only 20% of minors who should be treated reach hospital services
Cases of serious mental disorder have increased in recent years and psychiatrists Aragonese They warn that "more and more" problems are being detected among young people. Within the framework of a conference organized by the Aragonese Association for Mental Health (Asapme), experts analyzed this Thursday a reality that worries and that, after the current period of pandemic, could leave even more diagnoses. Precisely for this reason, specialists stressed the "vital importance" of early detection at an early age. «Any disorder that lasts more than two years is considered serious and two out of three adult patients already begin with psychopathies in childhood», explained José María Civeira, head of Psychiatry at the Zaragoza Children's Hospital.
Schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, severe depression or severe obsessive-compulsive disorder are some of the diagnoses among young people that specialists see in consultation. «They generate disability and social dysfunction, because it makes their relationship and self-care difficult in a work or educational environment. That difficulty is what is common to all these different diseases, but They all share the social problems and stigmatization of mental illness», said Alfonso Pérez, head of Psychiatry at the Miguel Servet Day Hospital.
One of the "keys" to any early approach is in the educational system, according to Manuel Martínez, head of the department of child and adolescent psychological care at Asapme. «Minors spend many hours in schools and institutes. There are abrupt changes in the young person that alert and can help with detection. such as changes in mood maintained over time, isolation, modification of sleep patterns, diet or a drop in school performance without a clear explanation," Martínez explained.
«These behaviors do not appear in isolation and it is very important to emphasize prevention. We must convey to young people that mental health are not motivational phrases or a post on Instagram», he stressed.
Late treatments
Dr. Civeira, in this sense, pointed out that In Aragon "there is a significant group of students" who continue to repeat 2nd grade of Primary "and the majority of them have not been clinically evaluated", said. There, in this late approach, is where the specialists put the focus and one of the challenges to improve. «Adolescence is when 80% of predictable biologically fatal diseases begin. This could be improved with better intervention and detection in the first cycles of life," Civeira stressed.
The specialists affirm that These delays are noticeable in the consultations. «There are many patients who do not arrive. Only 20% of children who should be treated for a mental health problem reach the hospital facility. Likewise, only 40% of adults do it. “That should lead us to think that we have to make a more proactive policy,” said Pérez.
That four out of five minors with mental health problems are not in the service is because perhaps we are doing something wrong. We are in the time of click, of immediacy, and we have to think about alternative ways to approach the younger population. Maybe there are those who do not dare to verbalize it and we have to help them do so," Martínez pointed out.
