CP v2

Tag: Depresija

  • Ozempic and other GLP-1 drugs linked to lower depression and addiction risk in large Swedish study

    Ozempic and other GLP-1 drugs linked to lower depression and addiction risk in large Swedish study

    GLP-1 medications, such as semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus), commonly prescribed for diabetes and obesity may also be linked to better mental health outcomes, according to new research. The study found that people using these drugs had fewer psychiatric hospital visits and took less time off work due to mental health issues. The large-scale analysis was conducted by researchers from the University of Eastern Finland, Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, and Griffith University in Australia.

    Obesity and diabetes are both tied to a higher risk of mental health problems. At the same time, people with psychiatric disorders are more likely to develop metabolic conditions such as obesity and diabetes. Scientists have long been exploring how these conditions overlap and whether treatments for physical health might also influence mental well-being.

    To investigate this connection, researchers analyzed data from nearly 100,000 individuals, including more than 20,000 who had used GLP-1 medications. Participants were tracked using Swedish national health registers from 2009 to 2022.

    Reduced Depression Anxiety and Psychiatric Care

    The findings showed that GLP-1 medications, especially semaglutide, were associated with fewer psychiatric-related hospital visits and reduced sickness absence. During periods when people were taking semaglutide, the need for such care dropped by 42% compared to periods without GLP-1 use. The risk of depression was 44% lower, while anxiety disorders were reduced by 38%.

    Lower Risk of Substance Use and Suicidal Behavior

    The study also found a notable decrease in substance use disorders among semaglutide users. Hospital care and time off work related to substance use were 47% lower during treatment periods. In addition, GLP-1 receptor agonists were linked to a reduced risk of suicidal behavior.

    One of the study’s authors, Professor Mark Taylor from Griffith University, said the findings were not entirely unexpected: “An earlier study examining Swedish registers found the use of GLP-1 medications to be associated with a reduced risk of alcohol use disorder. Alcohol-related problems often have downstream effects on mood and anxiety, so we expected the effect to be positive on these as well.”

    Why Might These Drugs Affect the Brain

    Even so, the strength of the associations surprised the research team. “Because this is a registry-based study, we cannot determine exactly why or how these medications affect mood symptoms, but the association was quite strong. It is possible that, in addition to factors such as reduced alcohol consumption, weight loss-related improvements in body image, or relief associated with better glycemic control in diabetes, there may also be direct neurobiological mechanisms involved — for example, through changes in the functioning of the brain’s reward system,” said Research Director, Docent Markku Lähteenvuo from the University of Eastern Finland.

    Strong Evidence but More Research Needed

    The results were published in The Lancet Psychiatry, a leading journal in the field. While earlier studies on GLP-1 medications and mental health have produced mixed findings, many of those studies were smaller. This large registry-based analysis adds stronger evidence, though further research is still needed to fully understand the link.

  • Ozempic and other GLP-1 drugs tied to lower depression and anxiety in large Swedish study, raising new questions about mental health benefits

    Ozempic and other GLP-1 drugs tied to lower depression and anxiety in large Swedish study, raising new questions about mental health benefits

    Popular GLP-1 medicines used for type 2 diabetes and weight loss, including Ozempic and Wegovy, may be linked to improved mental health outcomes, according to a large new analysis of Swedish health data. Researchers tracked changes in psychiatric care and work absence during periods when patients were using these drugs.

    The study, led by scientists from the University of Eastern Finland, Karolinska Institutet and Griffith University, examined national register data spanning 2009 to 2022. Nearly 100 000 people were included, with more than 20 000 having used a GLP-1 receptor agonist at some point during follow-up.

    What the study found

    Across the dataset, GLP-1 use was associated with fewer psychiatric hospital visits and fewer days of sickness absence related to mental health conditions. The strongest associations were reported for semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy.

    During periods of semaglutide use, psychiatric hospital care and sickness absence were reported as 42% lower than during periods off treatment. The analysis also linked semaglutide exposure with a 44% lower risk of depression and a 38% lower risk of anxiety disorders.

    Signals beyond mood and anxiety

    The researchers also reported a lower rate of hospital care and work absence tied to substance use disorders during semaglutide treatment periods, with a reduction of 47%. They additionally found an association between GLP-1 receptor agonist use and reduced suicidal behavior, though the study design cannot determine causality.

    One author, Professor Mark Taylor of Griffith University, said the direction of the results aligned with earlier register-based research suggesting GLP-1 use may be associated with a reduced risk of alcohol use disorder. Because alcohol problems can worsen mood symptoms, the team said this could be one pathway behind the observed patterns.

    Why it may happen, and what it means

    Experts caution that registry studies can show links but cannot prove the drugs directly prevent depression or anxiety, since unmeasured factors could influence who starts or stays on treatment. Researchers said potential explanations range from improved blood sugar control and weight loss to reduced alcohol use and better quality of life.

    They also pointed to possible direct effects on the brain, including changes in reward-related pathways, as a hypothesis that needs targeted clinical research. The findings were published in The Lancet Psychiatry, adding weight to an ongoing debate as regulators and clinicians continue to watch for both potential benefits and risks affecting mental health.

  • A simple blood test could spot depression risk early by tracking immune cell aging

    A simple blood test could spot depression risk early by tracking immune cell aging

    Researchers are testing whether a routine blood sample could help flag depression earlier, using measures of biological aging in specific immune cells. The work adds to a growing push for objective biomarkers that could complement symptom-based mental health screening.

    The study, published in The Journals of Gerontology: Series A, examined epigenetic changes that act like molecular timestamps on DNA. These so-called epigenetic clocks estimate biological age, which can advance faster than chronological age under stress, illness, or other factors.

    Why depression has been hard to test

    Depression is typically diagnosed through clinical interviews and questionnaires, not lab confirmation, partly because the condition can look very different across patients. Some people primarily experience somatic symptoms such as sleep and appetite changes, while others struggle most with mood and cognition, including hopelessness and loss of pleasure.

    That variability can complicate detection, especially when physical symptoms overlap with other chronic conditions. Clinicians may order bloodwork to rule out medical causes, but there is still no widely accepted biological test that can confirm depression on its own.

    Monocytes emerge as a key signal

    The research analyzed data from 440 women, including 261 living with HIV and 179 without HIV, drawing on the long-running Women’s Interagency HIV Study. Depression symptoms were assessed using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, a 20-item tool that captures both somatic and non-somatic features.

    Blood samples were used to calculate epigenetic aging in two ways: a broad measure across multiple cell types and a monocyte-focused clock. Monocytes are white blood cells involved in immune responses and inflammation, processes increasingly studied for their links to mental health.

    The monocyte-specific aging measure tracked most strongly with non-somatic depression symptoms such as anhedonia, hopelessness, and a sense of failure, in women with and without HIV. By contrast, the broader multi-tissue aging measure did not show the same relationship, suggesting the signal may be cell-type specific.

    What this could change in care

    The authors caution that the findings are not yet ready for clinical use and do not mean a single blood draw can diagnose depression today. Larger studies, replication in different populations, and clearer thresholds would be needed before a test could be validated for real-world screening.

    Still, the results point to a possible path toward earlier, more precise detection, particularly for people whose physical symptoms might be attributed to other illnesses. If confirmed, immune-cell epigenetic measures could also support more personalized care by helping researchers distinguish depression subtypes and refine treatment matching.

  • A lasting brain switch in addiction and stress: Why ΔFosB is drawing new attention in mental health research

    A lasting brain switch in addiction and stress: Why ΔFosB is drawing new attention in mental health research

    Advances in molecular psychiatry are sharpening scientists’ view of how stress and drugs can leave long-lasting marks on the brain. A recent interview published by Genomic Press in the journal Brain Medicine highlights decades of work that helped connect fleeting experiences to persistent changes in behavior.

    In the discussion, neuroscientist Eric J. Nestler, dean of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, traces how early training in brain chemistry led him to focus on the biology behind addiction, depression and resilience. He describes a field that has moved from broad theories toward specific molecules, cell types and circuits that can be measured.

    ΔFosB and long-term brain change

    One of the best-known findings from this line of research centers on ΔFosB, a transcription factor that can build up in reward-related brain circuits after repeated drug exposure and prolonged stress. Unlike many proteins that degrade quickly, ΔFosB can persist for weeks, helping to explain how short periods of exposure may trigger longer-lasting shifts in gene activity.

    Researchers have linked this durability to changes in motivation and reward processing that can raise vulnerability to addiction. The idea is not that one factor explains complex disorders, but that stable molecular signals like ΔFosB can act as a biological bridge between experience and enduring neural adaptation.

    From epigenetics to single-cell tools

    Nestler also points to a major methodological shift in the field, from studying signaling pathways to mapping gene regulation through epigenetic mechanisms such as chromatin modifications. Those approaches have been accelerated by tools that can parse differences across brain regions and, increasingly, across individual neuron types.

    Single-cell methods are now enabling researchers to look for patterns that may be missed when tissue is analyzed in bulk. That trajectory is feeding interest in whether future treatments could be tailored more precisely to particular circuits or cell populations involved in mood and substance-use disorders.

    Why resilience is becoming central

    A notable theme in the interview is a push to study resilience, not only pathology. Experiments in animals have identified molecular and circuit signatures associated with maintaining normal behavior despite stress, raising the possibility of therapies designed to strengthen protective mechanisms.

    Some resilience-oriented strategies are already being tested clinically for depression, reflecting a broader shift toward interventions that aim to improve adaptive capacity as well as relieve symptoms. The interview argues that focusing on what helps certain individuals recover could open complementary pathways for drug development.

    Nestler also underscores the importance of linking animal findings with human evidence, including results from postmortem brain studies in people affected by addiction and stress-related conditions. He warns that politicizing science could slow progress, stressing that medical research should remain independent and broadly beneficial.

  • Depression research takes a new turn: Scientists trace the disorder to specific brain cell types

    Depression research takes a new turn: Scientists trace the disorder to specific brain cell types

    Scientists at McGill University and the Douglas Research Centre have identified specific brain cell types that show altered activity in people with major depression, a finding that could help sharpen the search for more targeted treatments.

    The work, published in Nature Genetics, combines genetic risk signals with cell-level measurements from human brain tissue to pinpoint where depression-related changes appear most strongly.

    Depression is among the world’s leading causes of disability, and many patients do not respond fully to existing therapies. Researchers have long suspected that depression involves measurable biological changes, but mapping them to precise cell types has been difficult.

    Rare brain tissue, sharper tools

    The team relied on post-mortem samples from the Douglas-Bell Canada Brain Bank, one of the specialized collections that includes tissue from people diagnosed with psychiatric conditions.

    Using single-nucleus methods, the researchers profiled gene regulation and gene activity across thousands of individual cells, comparing samples from 59 people with depression and 41 without it.

    Neurons and microglia stand out

    The analysis highlighted two cell populations with notable differences in depression: a group of excitatory neurons involved in mood and stress-related circuits, and a subtype of microglia, immune cells that help regulate inflammation in the brain.

    In both cell types, multiple genes showed altered patterns of activity, suggesting that disruptions in neural signaling and immune-related pathways may converge in the disorder.

    What this could mean for treatment

    By tying depression-associated genetic mechanisms to defined cell types, the study offers a clearer roadmap for experiments that test how these cellular shifts affect brain function over time.

    Researchers caution that the findings do not translate directly into an immediate new therapy, but they may help guide drug development and biomarker research toward more precise biological targets.

    Senior author Gustavo Turecki said the approach provides a clearer picture of where disruptions occur and which cells are involved, reinforcing the view that depression reflects identifiable brain changes rather than a purely psychological experience.

  • Harvard study traces a gut bacteria link to depression, pointing to an environmental chemical that may fuel inflammation

    Harvard study traces a gut bacteria link to depression, pointing to an environmental chemical that may fuel inflammation

    Harvard Medical School researchers have outlined a new molecular pathway that may help explain why certain gut bacteria are repeatedly associated with major depressive disorder. The work centers on Morganella morganii and an immune reaction that could connect gut chemistry to brain health.

    In the study, scientists found that an environmental contaminant called diethanolamine, or DEA, can be incorporated into a lipid-like molecule produced by M. morganii in the gut. That altered molecule appears to behave differently than the standard version, shifting from relatively inert to immune-activating.

    A chemical swap with immune effects

    Laboratory tests showed the modified bacterial molecule can stimulate inflammatory signaling, including elevated release of cytokines such as interleukin-6, or IL-6. IL-6 has been widely studied as part of the broader link between inflammation and depressive symptoms in some patients.

    The authors argue this provides a clearer mechanism than earlier correlation-based microbiome findings, though it does not prove the pathway causes depression in humans. They say additional clinical work is needed to determine how often this chemistry occurs in real-world conditions and who may be most affected.

    Why inflammation matters in depression

    Inflammation has long been investigated as one contributor to depression, with evidence suggesting a subset of cases may involve immune dysregulation. The new results fit into that view by describing how a bacterial product, altered by exposure to a common industrial chemical, might intensify inflammatory signaling.

    The team also notes that M. morganii has been associated in prior research with inflammatory conditions beyond depression, including metabolic and gastrointestinal diseases. That pattern, they say, supports the idea that the bacterium’s metabolites can interact with the immune system in clinically meaningful ways.

    Potential paths for diagnosis and treatment

    The researchers suggest DEA-related chemistry could eventually help identify biological subtypes of depression, potentially using exposure markers or microbial metabolites as part of a diagnostic approach. Any such use would require validation in human cohorts and careful separation of correlation from causation.

    More broadly, the findings add momentum to efforts exploring treatments that target inflammation for selected patients, alongside established psychological and pharmacological therapies. The authors describe their work as a framework for scanning other gut microbes for similar pollutant-driven metabolic changes.

    The study was published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society and combined expertise in bacterial small-molecule chemistry and microbiome-immunity interactions. Researchers involved also highlighted the role of cross-disciplinary microbiome research in moving from broad associations toward specific, testable mechanisms.

  • Mokslininkai nustebino: viena psilocibino dozė gali keisti smegenis ir savijautą ištisą mėnesį

    Mokslininkai nustebino: viena psilocibino dozė gali keisti smegenis ir savijautą ištisą mėnesį

    Naujas tyrimas rodo, kad vienkartinė psilocibino dozė gali sukelti ne tik trumpalaikę psichodelinę patirtį, bet ir ilgiau išliekančius smegenų veiklos bei savijautos pokyčius. Mokslininkai teigia, kad daliai žmonių šie efektai gali būti juntami maždaug mėnesį.

    Psilocibinas yra psichoaktyvus junginys, natūraliai randamas kai kuriuose grybuose. Pastaraisiais metais jis vis dažniau tiriamas kaip potenciali priemonė gydant depresiją, nerimą ar priklausomybes, tačiau šįkart dėmesys sutelktas į sveikus, anksčiau jo nevartojusius dalyvius.

    Kaip vyko eksperimentas

    Tyrime dalyvavo 28 sveiki savanoriai, kurie psilocibino iki tol nebuvo bandę. Jie dalyvavo dviejose sesijose: pirmoje gavo 1 miligramą, kuris dažnai laikomas placebo doze, o po mėnesio antroje sesijoje gavo 25 miligramus, galinčius sukelti ryškią psichodelinę patirtį.

    Dalyviai pildė psichologinius testus, kuriais vertintas kognityvinis lankstumas, savijauta ir patirties metu gautos įžvalgos. Be to, buvo fiksuojami smegenų veiklos rodikliai, pasitelkiant EEG, funkcinį magnetinį rezonansą ir difuzijos tenzorinį vaizdinimą.

    EEG matavimai atlikti prieš sesiją ir praėjus 1, 2 bei 4,5 valandos po dozės, o magnetinio rezonanso tyrimai kartoti prieš psilocibino sesiją ir praėjus mėnesiui. Tyrėjai pažymi, kad dėl akivaizdaus patirties skirtumo daliai dalyvių buvo lengva atspėti, kurioje sesijoje gauta didesnė dozė.

    Ką parodė smegenų duomenys

    Analizuodami duomenis mokslininkai išskyrė ryšį tarp laikinai padidėjusios smegenų entropijos ir kitą dieną fiksuotų psichologinių įžvalgų. Entropija šiame kontekste apibūdina, kiek įvairiai ir plačiai svyruoja smegenų aktyvumo modeliai.

    Tyrėjų teigimu, didesnė entropija psilocibino poveikio metu ir stipresnės įžvalgos kitą dieną buvo susijusios su didesniu savijautos pagerėjimu po mėnesio. Kitaip tariant, ne vien pati medžiaga, bet ir patirties „turinys“ bei subjektyvus prasmingumas gali būti svarbi ilgalaikio efekto dalis.

    „Jau žinojome, kad psilocibinas gali būti naudingas gydant psichikos sutrikimus, tačiau dabar geriau suprantame, kaip tai gali veikti“, – sakė neurologas Robinas Carhartas-Harrisas.

    Kodėl tai svarbu ir kokie ribotumai

    Rezultatai papildo augantį mokslinių darbų lauką, kuriame psichodelikai vertinami ne kaip pramoginės medžiagos, o kaip galimos terapijos priemonės griežtai kontroliuojamoje klinikinėje aplinkoje. Praktikoje tai reiškia, kad ateityje daugiau dėmesio gali būti skiriama ne tik dozei, bet ir vadinamajam set ir setting, tai yra žmogaus psichologinei būsenai bei aplinkai.

    Vis dėlto mokslininkai pabrėžia, kad tai nedidelės apimties tyrimas, atliktas su sveikais dalyviais, todėl išvadų negalima tiesiogiai perkelti į klinikinį depresijos ar priklausomybių gydymą. Be to, entropijos idėja kaip universalaus psichodelinės būsenos žymens sulaukia kritikos, o patys autoriai pripažįsta, kad gali būti dar neatrasti pakankamai jautrūs būdai tiksliai fiksuoti ilgalaikius funkcinius smegenų pokyčius.

    Tyrimas publikuotas žurnale „Nature Communications“. Specialistai pabrėžia, kad psilocibino vartojimas be medicininės priežiūros gali kelti rizikų, ypač žmonėms, turintiems psichikos sutrikimų ar vartojantiems tam tikrus vaistus.

  • Dažni naktiniai košmarai gali įspėti apie rimtas ligas: ką sako medikai ir tyrimai

    Naktiniai košmarai pasitaiko daugeliui, tačiau dažnai pasikartojantys, ypač kas savaitę ar dažniau, gali būti signalas, kad organizmas patiria didesnį krūvį. Specialistai pabrėžia, jog pavieniai baisūs sapnai dažniausiai nėra pavojingi, bet įprotis nuolat prabusti išgąsčio būsenoje jau vertas dėmesio.

    Miego metu žmogus paprastai pereina kelis sapnų ciklus, o ryškiausi sapnai dažniau siejami su REM faze. Nors dauguma sapnų greitai pasimiršta, košmarai neretai palieka stiprų emocinį pėdsaką ir gali trikdyti miego kokybę, dėl ko kitą dieną didėja nuovargis, dirglumas ir nerimas.

    Kada košmarai tampa įspėjimu?

    Dažnėjantys košmarai dažnai siejami su psichologiniais veiksniais: užsitęsusiu stresu, nerimo sutrikimais ar depresija. Taip pat jie gali stiprėti po sunkių išgyvenimų, kai žmogus patiria potrauminio streso sutrikimui būdingus simptomus, o naktiniai išgyvenimai tampa tarsi nuolat pasikartojančiu įvykių atgarsiu.

    Neuromokslų ir miego medicinos tyrimuose vis dažniau akcentuojama, kad košmarai gali būti ne vien emocinės būklės atspindys, bet ir bendros sveikatos rodiklis. Ypač atkreipiamas dėmesys į suaugusiuosius, kuriems košmarai kartojasi nuolat, nes tai siejama su didesne nepalankių sveikatos baigčių rizika.

    Sąsajos su demencija ir ankstyvesne mirtimi

    Mokslinėje literatūroje aptariamos sąsajos tarp dažnų košmarų ir didesnės rizikos vėliau patirti pažintinių funkcijų silpnėjimą. Kai kurie tyrėjai kelia prielaidą, kad pasikartojantys košmarai gali būti ankstyvas signalas, jog smegenyse vyksta procesai, galintys didinti neurodegeneracinių ligų tikimybę.

    Taip pat viešojoje erdvėje cituojami tyrimai, kuriuose nurodoma, kad suaugusiesiems, patiriantiems savaitinius košmarus, stebimas reikšmingai didesnis nepalankių sveikatos baigčių dažnis. Vis dėlto medikai pabrėžia, kad tai nereiškia tiesioginės priežasties ir pasekmės: košmarai gali būti ir gilesnių problemų palydovas.

    Miego paralyžius ir kiti miego sutrikimai

    Prie labiausiai gąsdinančių reiškinių priskiriamas miego paralyžius, kai žmogus pabunda, tačiau trumpą laiką negali pajudėti ar prabilti. Tai aiškinama tuo, kad REM fazėje natūraliai veikia laikinas raumenų „išjungimas“, saugantis nuo judesių sapnuojant, o retais atvejais sąmonė pabunda anksčiau nei šis mechanizmas išsijungia.

    Košmarų daugėjimas gali būti siejamas ir su kvėpavimo sutrikimais miegant, pavyzdžiui, miego apnėja, kai dėl epizodinių kvėpavimo sustojimų krenta deguonies kiekis ir miegas tampa fragmentuotas. Tokiais atvejais sapnų turinys neretai būna apie dusimą ar skendimą, o žmogus gali prabusti su padažnėjusiu širdies plakimu.

    Kai kuriems žmonėms košmarus gali sustiprinti ir širdies bei kraujagyslių problemos, ypač jei naktį pasitaiko staigių prabudimų su nerimu, širdies permušimais ar pakilusiu kraujospūdžiu. Tokie simptomai savaime nėra diagnozė, tačiau kartu su dažnais košmarais gali būti priežastis pasikonsultuoti su šeimos gydytoju.

    Specialistai pataria kreiptis pagalbos, jei košmarai kartojasi reguliariai, trukdo miegui, sukelia ryškų dienos nuovargį, nerimą ar žmogus pradeda vengti miego. Dažniausiai pradedama nuo miego higienos įvertinimo, streso valdymo, o įtariant apnėją ar kitus sutrikimus, gali būti skiriami miego tyrimai.

    „Pavieniai košmarai dažniausiai nėra pavojingi, tačiau pasikartojantys ir miegą griaunantys epizodai gali būti ženklas, kad reikalingas išsamesnis sveikatos įvertinimas“, – sako miego medicinos specialistai.

  • OECD skaičiuoja: prasta psichikos sveikata Europai kainuoja 76 mlrd. eurų kasmet – kas kaltas?

    OECD skaičiuoja: prasta psichikos sveikata Europai kainuoja 76 mlrd. eurų kasmet – kas kaltas?

    Prasta psichikos sveikata Europoje tampa ne tik visuomenės sveikatos, bet ir ekonomikos išbandymu. Ekonominio bendradarbiavimo ir plėtros organizacija (OECD) skaičiuoja, kad su tuo susijusios išlaidos Europos šalims kasmet siekia apie 76 mlrd. eurų.

    Pasak OECD, ši suma sudaro maždaug 6 proc. visų sveikatos biudžetų. Vertinimuose pabrėžiama, kad nuostoliai apima ne vien gydymo išlaidas, bet ir produktyvumo kritimą, nedarbingumą bei mažesnį dalyvavimą darbo rinkoje.

    Didelė dalis sąnaudų susijusi su tuo, kad psichikos sutrikimai dažnai paaštrina lėtines somatines ligas. Dėl to pacientams prireikia sudėtingesnio ir brangesnio gydymo, dažnėja hospitalizacijos, ilgėja reabilitacija.

    OECD prognozuoja, kad 2025–2050 metų laikotarpiu psichikos sveikatos problemos vidutiniškai gali mažinti bendrąjį vidaus produktą apie 1,7 proc. per metus. Šį kritimą pirmiausia lemia sumažėjęs dirbančiųjų skaičius ir prastesnė darbo našumo dinamika.

    Ataskaitoje išskiriami dažniausi sutrikimai: nerimo sutrikimai sudaro apie 40 proc. visų atvejų, depresiniai sutrikimai – apie 20 proc., o su psichoaktyviųjų medžiagų vartojimu susiję sutrikimai – apie 17 proc. Tačiau pažymima, kad realūs mastai gali būti didesni, nes dalis lengvesnių būklių lieka nediagnozuotos dėl stigmos ir riboto paslaugų prieinamumo.

    Ypač paveikti jauni žmonės

    OECD duomenimis, per pastaruosius du dešimtmečius psichikos sutrikimų paplitimas OECD šalyse išaugo beveik 21 proc. Be to, prasta psichikos sveikata paliečia daugiau nei vieną iš penkių žmonių OECD ir Europos Sąjungos valstybėse.

    Labiausiai išsiskiria jaunimo grupė: pastaraisiais metais daugiau nei vienas iš keturių 15–24 metų žmonių yra patyręs psichikos sveikatos sutrikimą. Specialistai pabrėžia, kad iki 24 metų prasidėjusios problemos, jei jos negydomos, dažniau užsitęsia ir turi ilgalaikių pasekmių.

    „Tikrasis problemos mastas greičiausiai didesnis, nes dalis būklių lieka nediagnozuotos, o stigma vis dar stabdo žmones kreiptis pagalbos“, – teigiama OECD ataskaitoje.

    Kaip rizikos veiksniai minimi pandemijos laikotarpio suvaržymai, karai, geopolitinis nestabilumas ir ekonominiai sukrėtimai. Taip pat akcentuojamas klimato kaitos keliamas nerimas ir probleminis socialinių tinklų naudojimas, ypač tarp paauglių ir jaunų suaugusiųjų.

    Gydymo spragos ir kryptis į bendruomenę

    Nors daugelyje šalių egzistuoja nacionalinės psichikos sveikatos strategijos, OECD konstatuoja ryškią gydymo spragą. Skaičiuojama, kad apie 67,5 proc. žmonių, kuriems reikalinga psichikos sveikatos pagalba Europos Sąjungos šalyse, jos negauna.

    Tarp pagrindinių kliūčių įvardijami priemokų poreikis kai kurioms terapijoms, specializuotų paslaugų trūkumas regionuose ir specialistų stygius. Dėl to pagalba dažnai pavėluoja, o problemos įsisenėja ir tampa brangesnės gydyti.

    OECD kaip vieną svarbiausių reformų krypčių išskiria perėjimą nuo vien tik ligoninėmis paremtos sistemos prie bendruomeninių paslaugų. Daugiau vaidmens siūloma suteikti pirminės sveikatos priežiūros grandžiai, mokykloms ir darbovietėms, kur prevencija ir ankstyva pagalba gali sumažinti ilgalaikes išlaidas.

    „Ankstyvos prevencinės priemonės už ligoninių ribų gali būti ir veiksmingos, ir pigesnės“, – pabrėžia OECD.