Awareness of mental health among the French population became flagrant during the coronavirus pandemic. While lockdowns and social distancing measures were established in the country, the
soared. The prescriptions of anxiolytics and antidepressants rose exponentially. From March 2020 to April 2021, several million
were registered in France. Access to mental health care was challenged by social distancing measures. A quick transition from face-to-face consultations with mental health specialists to teleconsultations took place. In January 2020, less than a thousand
took place in France, four months later over 77 thousand psychiatric teleconsultations were registered.
Access to mental health care
In France, psychological Medical Centers (CMPs) are the pillars of public psychiatric care. Resulting from a long process initiated in the 1960s, these local outpatient care structures aim at covering all mental health needs. In 2018, the
number of CMPs per 100,000 inhabitants was unequally distributed throughout the French territory. CMPs are multidisciplinary establishments where psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, social workers, and other mental health workers work together. In 2020, the
density of psychologists in France surpassed by far the
density of psychiatrists. CMPs must cover all the extra-hospital care and needs of the psychiatric sector. They are places of varied medical and socio-psychological care at no cost to patients.
Psychiatric care
According to the
number of people treated for psychiatric pathologies, mood and neurotic disorders, such as depression or generalized anxiety, were the most common type of mental illness among the French population in 2019. During that year, the second most common psychiatric pathology among men was addictive disorders. Currently, hospitalization in psychiatry is only used for acute and emergencies. Over recent years, the
density of psychiatric care beds steadily decreased in France. According to a
survey conducted in 2021, psychiatric outpatient care was perceived positively by the French population. One critique made towards French psychiatric hospitals is that
isolation and restraint measures for patients with acute psychiatric disorders are left solely to the appreciation of healthcare providers.
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