ROMA (ITALPRESS) – In Europe depressive symptoms affect 24% of the population under 25 and depression will become the main cause of disability in the world by 2030: are the data from which the “Dialogo on mental health” started today in Rome, the meeting promoted by Angelini Pharma, an international pharmaceutical company part of the Angelini Industries group, and by Il Cortile dei Gentili, the Foundation established by Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi to unite believers and non-believers in the comparison of the great contemporary challenges, with the aim of starting a reflection on the need to invest in mental health not only to promote the welfare of citizens.
“The mental disorders are increasing, especially among the youngest,” commented Sergio Marullo di Condojanni, CEO of Angelini Pharma. “As an industry, we have a dual duty: to promote awareness to remove cultural resistance to the care of psychological discomfort and invest in research and development to equip health professionals with the tools necessary to promote the welfare of the population and the community. The public, private and civil society must work in synergy, because no one can win this challenge alone: It is with this spirit that we wanted to organize together with the Courtyard of the Gentiles this event, convinced that the mental health of young people is the most urgent strategic investment for the future of the whole society”.
To date, in fact, mental discomfort is particularly widespread among the younger bands of the population that not only have to confront the constant and fast change of their contexts of reference, but are also exposed to the reality – often distorted – of social networks, whose incessant use risks turning into a powerful amplifier of isolation and suffering. For Cardinal Ravasi, “Mental health is one of the great cultural and social challenges of our time, because it touches the very heart of the person, his relationships and his future, especially in young generations. In this horizon, the collaboration between the Courtyard of the Gentiles and Angelini Pharma bears witness to the value of an alliance between culture, science and social responsibility, capable of promoting prevention, listening and authentic communication. Only through an open and plural dialogue can we transform discomfort into an occasion of awareness, care and hope.”.
The need to establish a new paradigm emerges, in which the protection of psychic fragility ceases to be just a chapter of health expenditure to become a precise field choice: investing in children today is not only an act of medical responsibility, but the only possible strategy to ensure stability and growth in the country system. In a video message, the Minister of Health Orazio Schillaci stressed that “the protection and promotion of mental health are at the heart of the attention of the health policies of the Ministry of Health, because we must take care of the person in its complexity, ensuring psychological well-being and physical well-being to all. In recent years in Italy there has been an increase in mental discomfort that has affected both the adult and the younger population. For a more effective reorganization of the health system, to give concrete and more modern answers to these health needs we have approved the new plan of action for mental health 2025-2030, a step waited for almost 13 years, a strategic measure that aims to facilitate the dialogue between hospital, territory, social services and schools, which devotes specific attention to the most delicate phases of life, from the evolutionary age to the transition to that adult”.
– Photo xi2/Italpress –
(ITALPRESS)
