Neither money nor support: where does psychiatric assistance fail in Bulgaria
More than one third of the Bulgarians testify that they know a person with mental disorders, a recent study by the Sociological Agency « Measure » showed.
Cases of conflict caused by people with mental illness are increasing. Several tragic incidents have attracted public attention in recent months. They all have one common denominator – the visible mental suffering. Several important questions arise:
- Who is responsible for the fatal consequences in the lives of these people
- Can something be done to prevent such scenarios
Lack of funds, lack of support
The draft budget for 2025, published on February 19, the amount of the psychiatric aid program is BGN 127 million, with 19.8% more than last, the Ministry of Health announced in response to a request to Dnevnik.
Another BGN 27 million has been planned to improve the conditions of treatment of mentally patients in psychiatry and their reintegration in society after discharge. The following costs will be covered:
- BGN 23.9 million to increase by 40 % of the subsidy for diagnosis and stationary treatment of patients with mental illness
- BGN 1.1 million for an increase of 10 % of the budget for the maintenance of state psychiatric hospitals (includes costs such as electricity, water, steam, medicines, etc.).
- BGN 2 million for the maintenance of 273 permanent patients in all 12 state psychiatric hospitals.
According to the opposition, the increase in this feather is not enough and another BGN 36 million is needed. MP Stella Nikolova from the group of « We continue the change – Democratic Bulgaria » has announced to journalists that together with their party members they will offer the necessary amount to enter the budget for this year between the first and second reading in the parliament.
Psychiatric help in our country is the « orphan » of healthcare
Stella Nikolova. PP-DB MP
The lack of sufficient funding is one of the reasons why psychiatrists refuse to accommodate heavily deteriorated people, Valentina Hristakeva, Director of the Global Initiative in Psychiatry – Sofia, told Dnevnik.
« Their staff is not enough and this is a serious challenge for them. That is, the whole team of a ward will have to engage with a single person, and they have many other patients, » the director adds. According to her, there are places in hospitals, and they themselves report their capacity every day to the Ministry of Health. However, there is no way to check this online.
How to treat mentally ill people in Bulgaria
There are three ways in which a person can be placed in a psychiatric establishment. The most favorable for people with mental illness is voluntary treatment. However, if they are not sufficiently aware of the symptoms of their disease, they themselves would hardly realize that there is a problem. It is very important here that their loved ones notice that something is not right and to encourage them to go to a doctor, explains Hristakeva.
| The first visit to a psychiatrist is of great importance because his attitude and time can determine whether the mentally ill person will adhere to his prescribed medication. |
In the event that the mentally ill puts himself or others in danger, his relatives, loved ones, or even just witnesses to his actions, may report to the nearest Emergency Medical Center. The patient may be temporarily hospitalized, and upon notification to the prosecutor's office and a proven presence of mental illness can be sent to compulsory treatment in the order described in the Health Act.
Where does the system crack
In Bulgaria there is still no accurate statistics on the number of people suffering from mental disorders. One of the reasons for this is the stigma of these people in society. Some of them are worried about how their illness would affect a job.
Rositsa Nikolova, manager of the art studio « Creator », learns about her diagnosis of bipolar affective disorder 28 years ago – at that time she was already the mother of two children. For most of the time he has been hiding for his illness in his workplace. Gradually, however, he began to be ashamed of his feelings, so he tried to find an employer who would understand her condition. However, this is not very easy. « I was very kindly denied when they understood my mental illness, » Nikolova told Dnevnik.
Evil Conditions: In psychiatry, they continue to tie patients without clear rules
What base has the state
There are 12 state psychiatric hospitals in Bulgaria with a total of 2100 beds, which treat 9500 patients annually. About 40 percent of them stay there for over a month.
More on the topic of treating mentally ill people and how some of them do in your workplace you read this weekend at Dnevnik.
