Firefighting is underway – shocking words from a psychologist

How do you see the state of Hungarian society spiritually?

Orsolya of Nagy-Kálmánczhelyi: It would be a bold undertaking if I wanted to formulate generalities about the state of Hungarian society as a whole. However, it is a well-known statistical fact that Hungary has been at the forefront of alcohol consumption and suicide in Europe for years.

What symptoms do adults and children see psychologists with these days?

NO: The majority of adults and children who visit my private practice have symptoms of anxiety or some form of mood disorder. While adults tend to struggle with panic disorder, depression and related relationship difficulties, psychosomatic problems, i.e. stress and anxiety manifested in physical symptoms, as well as related family and peer relationship difficulties, are the most common in children.

And what do you experience at the institutional level?

NO: My other field of work is a private psychotherapy and rehabilitation institution. In recent years, a trend has been observed that a smaller number of people with classic “major” psychiatric diagnoses, such as schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders they apply for therapy. This does not necessarily mean that the incidence of these pathologies has actually decreased. It is also conceivable that due to the shortcomings of the care system, these people tend to remain in the background, or that they only get medical help, not therapy. On the other hand, those suffering from narcissistic personality disorder seem to have increased among the applicants, and this can be due to countless social and other reasons.

How open is the average Hungarian to therapy or are they more in favor of medication?

NO: I experience two typical attitudes regarding “medicine versus therapy”, not necessarily mutually exclusive. One is that people are still often ashamed of their mental problems, which they try to hide, especially at work. In addition, the consumer society is still a fan of instant and short-term solutions, so the drug, which can reduce the symptoms quickly and discreetly, may be a more sought-after tool.

And it’s also cheaper, which is certainly an important factor for many people in the current economic conditions…

NO: It is indeed a not inconsiderable aspect that in the short term it is also much cheaper than a longer and much more time- and energy-intensive psychotherapy work. Of course, the need for medicines cannot be doubted. In many cases, some patients are not accessible either from the point of view of a sustainable lifestyle or psychotherapy work, until their condition is somewhat regulated by the medication specifically set by the psychiatrist.

The other attitude already mentioned above is the demand and interest in therapy
increase. This is perhaps also due to the fact that psychoeducation is gradually reaching
ever wider layers of society and helps to understand what psychological work really means. Overall, it would be important to see that therapy is often not possible without medication, but also that medication alone can only provide symptomatic treatment and short-term relief in a large percentage of cases. Long-term, lasting change can often be achieved by using the two tools in parallel. In addition, there are cases where psychological processing is also sufficient.

In our own field, in the media, we find that all articles talking about sedatives and anxiety relievers have a high number of clicks. Are Hungarians really that addicted to drugs?

NO: Drug addiction is an existing problem in Hungary, but why people prefer to use drugs is much more complicated than we have discussed before. Looking at the economic side, the unsolved subsidized financing of private therapies, the shortcomings and overload of TB-based services do not make this type of service available to all who need it. On the other hand, there is a subsidy for drugs, which makes them more affordable than a psychotherapy process that can last for years.

What is the biggest problem with the care of the mentally ill at home today?

NO: As with any other health care, the main problem is the lack of capacity. Most of the fire fighting takes place in hospital wards and rehabilitation institutions. There are not enough professionals, the workload is extraordinary. Of course, these are problems that have been mentioned to the point of boredom. There is, however, another approach to how to reduce the number of people struggling with mental problems, which could also reduce the burden on care. And this is putting mental health and prevention first. Changes have already started in this area, but further developments and investments are needed so that later on there will not be so many psychiatric patients with care, or worse, without care.

Can we pay for it if necessary, or is psychotherapy considered a luxury today? Was this sector also affected by the inflation explosion?

NO: As with all other services, prices have risen in this area, especially in the last two years. It cannot be said that an average Hungarian family can easily afford a longer therapy, be it for the treatment of a child, the entire family or an adult. The financing of psychotherapies by social security in Hungary is still not resolved. As a result, quite a lot of people miss out on help, as they may only get their turn in the state institutions designed for this purpose, or due to a lack of capacity, even if it would be justified from the point of view of the problem, there is no possibility of longer-term assistance. Fortunately, there are private practice communities where, through a foundation, they try to provide discounted or free care for a certain number of hours to those in need, but these resources are finite.