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“In the first three months of activity, starting from the second half of 2023, over 2600 citizens made an initial visit to a basic psychologist, and 9000 interviews were exceeded“: Like this, Armando Cozzuto, president of the Regional Order of Psychologists, explains the success of this service in the interview he gave us. “First of all, order must be made. The famous psychologist bonus that we hear about is national, and is paid by INPS on the basis of one’s income. And, among other things, lower numbers were found compared to the service we provide. The Campania Region was a pioneer in requiring the service of a basic psychologist in the health districts. The service started in a structured way already in July last year“.
“Campania is a pioneer in basic psychologists: we won the appeal in the Constitutional Court”
“We are the only region to have 148 basic psychologists currently in service. In each local health authority district, we have two professionals. The introduction of a basic psychologist into the ASL has been feared for twenty years. Today, it is finally a reality. Campania leads the way, at a national level. The legislative process is continuing. Initially, the Council of Ministers opposed it, but we incredibly won in the Constitutional Court. Now, the other regions are also following the path already traced by us. 40 million euros have been allocated to the basic psychology service of the Campania Region, double the famous national bonus. As regards school psychology, a service currently being implemented, 1.2 million have been allocated, with a desire to increase“.
“Covid has highlighted the need for psychological support”
Is it correct to say that the Covid pandemic has acted as a watershed for benefiting from a psychological service?: “Even before Covid, there had been an increase in requests for psychological assistance. Afterwards, there was an acceleration. Covid has made the need for support clear. And, at the same time, prejudices have decayed“.
“Young adults are those who have requested an interview with the basic psychologist, but there are also sixty-year-olds”
The need for psychological support, perhaps preparatory to starting a personal psychotherapy journey, is healthy for all age groups. “There has been a great demand from young adults in the range 20-30 And 30-40but after the first few months we also witnessed a notable increase in requests from teenagers in the going range from 12 to 18 years old. There are also 60 year olds. Awareness of this service has expanded like wildfire, and requests have been increasingly higher“. Benefiting from a psychological primary care service can allow you to respond adequately to critical events that affect the person’s life cycle: “A failure at school, a separation, can be addressed with an expert free of charge for eight matches. Psychotropic drugs or antidepressants can be prescribed, but they must be used with caution, like all drugs. Sometimes, it’s not necessary“. In a 2019 report by Il Sole 24 Ore, it emerged that Campania is the region in which the least antidepressants are administered.
“Psychology is an ancient science, but it is a young profession”
Speaking of prejudice, it is one of the contemporary plagues that sometimes discredits the good work of mental health experts: “It is transversal for all age groups. Fortunately, there has been a gradual improvement for some time. The profession is young, but the science is ancient: the order was only founded in 1989. However, young people have been increasingly inclined to turn to experts“.
Le Iene report: “The Prosecutor’s Office will shed light if it continues to exercise”
Finally, in the recent news, a report from Le Iene was broadcast in which the original professionalism of a doctor was denounced: “This is Lucia Altieri, who was the subject of a report to the order of psychologists and ethics commission. Our order has disbarred the doctor, so she can no longer practice. Disbarment is the most serious penalty. Subsequently, there was the television report, from which it seems that there is a continuation of her profession but this is the responsibility of the prosecutor’s office“.
