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40 million euros in total for the 2024 “Mental Health Implementation Plan”, 7,032,090 arrive in Bologna. Children and adults with autism spectrum disorders, people with intellectual disabilities, or those, especially among the youngest, with eating or learning disorders will benefit from it.
The “Plan” approved in recent days by the Regional Council confirms the availability of 40 million euros from the Regional Health Fund.
“Investing in mental health and support for vulnerable people is an essential priority for our Region – states the councilor for health policies, Raffaele Donini -. We confirm our commitment with an investment of 40 million euros which will allow us to guarantee early diagnoses, personalized treatments and continuous, integrated assistance. It is essential to put the patient at the center by offering treatment paths that respect individual dignity and needs. Only in this way can we build a more inclusive and supportive society, in which no one is left behind. In recent years – adds Donini – we have achieved important results thanks to the collaboration of clinicians, patients and family associations. It is in this direction that we will continue to act in the field of possible autonomy, programs for nutrition and eating disorders, early psychosis, learning disorders, childhood and adult autism and intellectual disabilities”.
The areas of the Plan
There are 7 areas envisaged by the Plan, which divides the resources among the health authorities of Emilia-Romagna:
- “Fund for possible autonomy-mental health” (33 million 705 thousand euros)
- “Autism-PRIA programme” for children and adults (4 million 230 thousand euros in total)
- Assistance for people with eating disorders (820 thousand euros),
- “Regional program for specific learning disabilities” (565 thousand euros),
- “Psychotic Beginnings Programme” (400 thousand euros)
- Taking care of people with intellectual disabilities (280 thousand euros).
33 million and 705 thousand euros are allocated to the “Fund for possible autonomy-Mental Health”: they will finance low-intensity socio-health care interventions for patients in mental health centres. Among the recipients there are people discharged from former psychiatric hospitals and Rems who require specific mental health assistance, those discharged but subjected to non-custodial security measures, people subject to alternative measures to detention and sent by the judicial authority in adult mental health residences.
820 thousand euros are allocated to the program to assist young people between 12 and 25 years old with eating disorders and to support their residential care.
Another 400 thousand euros are allocated to the “Psychotic onset” program, which promotes the health and well-being of people at the onset of psychosis in mental health centers, in line with the recommendations of the Region.
The regional program for specific learning disabilities is financed with 565 thousand euros, in particular for the implementation of early diagnosis and the patient care process, and concerns both young people (6-18 years) and adults .
4 million and 230 thousand euros are reserved for the Autism-Pria program (“Integrated regional program for territorial assistance to people with autism spectrum disorder), both in children and adults.
280 thousand euros are foreseen for the care of people with intellectual disabilities (0-17 year age group).
“Strengthening home interventions”
The objective of the interventions is the personalized therapeutic approach based on the ‘Health Budget’: “This is the innovative organisational-management model in the socio-health field experimented by the Emilia-Romagna Region – Aldo Moro informs Vial – and addressed not only to people with severe mental disorders, but also to those with complex socio-health needs (for example strong social marginalization, disabilities, pathological addictions), which aims to put people at the center of intervention strategies and therefore to create based treatment paths on a personalized therapeutic program, in the name of maximum integration and flexibility of intervention of health and social services, which aims to limit the need for hospitalization in health facilities through the strengthening of home interventions”.
The breakdown by ASL
Of the 40 million total resources available, 3,192,564 euros go to the Piacenza local health authority, 5,888,310 euros to the Parma local health authority, 5,026,392 euros to the Reggio Emilia local health authority, 4,358,867 euros to the Modena local health authority, and 4,358,867 euros to the Modena local health authority. Bologna 7,032,090ASL Imola 3,294,364, ASL Ferrara 4,453,864, ASL Romagna 6,753,549.
Assistance in Emilia-Romagna
From outpatient clinics, to intensive or extensive residences, to local Day Centers and Day Hospitals, to hospital psychiatric services: “In 2023, those assisted by the Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry Services were 64,975, 4.2% more than in 2021; the majority (61.0%) are male and are mainly aged between 6 and 13 (52.0%). language disorders, learning disorders, etc.), psycho-psychological disorders
behavioral disorders, autism spectrum disorders and mental retardation” says the Region.
Compared to 2019, diagnoses linked to autism spectrum disorders (+55.7%), nutrition and eating disorders (+86.4%), psycho-behavioural disorders (+27.2%) increased; diagnoses of disorders linked to attention deficit (ADHD) also increased by 24.7%.
The numbers
80,740 – of which 43.0% were women – were patients treated by adult mental health centers (+9.2% compared to 2021); the largest share of users is in the over 45 age group (64.3%), but there is a 10.8% of very young users (under 25) and a further 12.4% of users aged between 25 and 34 years old. The over 55s are 43.6%.
Among the most frequent diagnoses are mood disorders – such as depression and anxiety disorders (36.0%) – followed by disorders attributable to the spectrum of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders (23.0%) and personality disorders (13.3%). Diagnoses linked to autism spectrum disorders doubled, going from 619 diagnoses in 2019 to 1,248 in 2023 (+101.6%) and diagnoses linked to nutrition and eating disorders (+23.6%).
21,563 (data from the first half of 2023) are the people who followed a treatment path at the regional Pathological Addiction Services, which after the decrease in the demand for treatment recorded during the pandemic years is returning to previous levels. In the latter area, the prevalent area is that relating to “drugs and/or medicines” (63.8%) followed by alcohol-related problems (30.2%), gambling (4.5 %) and smoking (1.5%).
Overall, compared to 2021, the number of people followed by child and adolescent neuropsychiatry services increased by 4.2%, and those followed by adult mental health services increased by 9.2%. (source: ER Region)
