Illustration of a consultation with a psychologist. – Pixabay
- Behind Doctolib’s figures reads the distress of the French, exhausted by months of confinements, curfews, sometimes difficult bereavements, omnipresent anxiety and a lack of prospects.
- New patients dare to seek help from a psychologist. A sign that campaigns on mental health are encouraging some to take the plunge.
- In addition, several measures aim to facilitate the access of the French to these reimbursed consultations, in order to overcome the financial brake.
“How about you go see someone?” This periphrasis says how much, even today, it is difficult to put words into words about psychological ailments and the need to be helped. But are things changing with the health crisis, which has put mental health in the spotlight? The distress of the French can be heard in any case a lot in the privacy of the offices of liberal psychologists, who have seen their agendas fill in recent months.
An explosion of consultations in the city?
The figures of the appointment booking platform Doctolib (which counts 7,100 of these practitioners), which reveals exclusively 20 minutes, prove that more French people have consulted. Between October 2020 and March 2021, the activity of psychologists increased by 27% compared to the same period last year. “There is a rather obvious increase”, confirms
Vanessa Lalo, liberal clinical psychologist. “Since the beginning of 2021, it’s worse, adds
Pascal Olivier, clinical psychologist in Clermont-Ferrand and deputy secretary general of the
National Union of Psychologists. There are no national figures, but the lifts show that more and more people are developing disorders. And for those who already suffered from it, it is amplified. “No new ailments, then, but anxiety, depression, sleep and eating disorders, addictions that are overflowing.
Same story on the side of Caroline Delannoy, she also a liberal clinical psychologist: “The majority of us have waiting lists and receive up to 10 calls a day. Those specialized in the management of stress, anxiety, psychotrauma, in the accompaniment of children and adolescents are the most requested. “
Why this explosion? “The weariness that we read in all the studies, we manage it in our offices, summarizes Vanessa Lalo. Even people who were doing well are starting to crack. And those who suffer from depression do not have those around them to support them. “No project either to imagine a rosier future, of sport to let go of tensions, of cultural activities to dream …” Many French people also find it difficult to mourn when they have not been able to bury a close, ”adds Pascal Olivier. “The pandemic, with all its consequences on our life and concerns about our health, can reactivate more or less strong traumas, not quite healed,” adds Caroline Delannoy.
New patients
Some people call in a psychologist for the first time. Indeed, according to the Doctolib study, 75% of practitioners explain having observed an increase in their workload in recent months, mainly linked to the arrival of new patients. “I receive a lot of people who would not have asked for help before,” says Vanessa Lalo. Including traders, entrepreneurs, freelancers, who get by on their own, who locked themselves in work when things were not going well. They are picked up with a teaspoon. “
Caroline Delannoy also observes a “real change. I have requests from people who say “I’m starting to not feel good”. They feel relieved of guilt. Before, some people thought “if I feel bad, it’s my fault”. »But next to this support early, some new patients arrive in a deleterious state. “We also see a lot of people on the verge of despair, in parental burn-out, with suicidal thoughts,” warns Caroline Delannoy.
Destigmatization?
Since the Covid-19 crisis, the government’s words have shed light on the mental health of the French. And word of mouth has destigmatized this aspect of health, which nevertheless remains the victim of caricatures. “Companies are investing in the mental health of their employees, which is further encouragement,” adds Caroline Delannoy. Psych support offered in its box becomes as natural as doing yoga… ”
“Consulting a psychologist is becoming a bit more democratic,” adds Pascal Olivier. There must be a combination of effects: we talk more about it in the media, there may also be an effect of the series In therapy, which can depart from the usual representations. But the look of others, not always encouraging, and the financial aspect hold some back.
Doctolib’s study shows that according to 35% of psychologists, the price of the consultation is the main obstacle for patients. “I did not expect a large number of requests for free consultations, reveals Vanessa Lalo. It is not normal to have a two-speed France: when you are rich, you can treat yourself, otherwise you will remain in depression … ”
Improvements in access
At government level, this issue seems identified. The proof: things are moving on three levels. On the one hand, Health Insurance has been testing reimbursement for consultations in four departments (Bouches-du-Rhône, Haute-Garonne, Landes, Morbihan) for two years. A scheme encouraged by the Court of Auditors, which recommended in February to “generalize as soon as possible”. Problem: “the price of these sessions, 22 euros without exceeding the fee, is half the usual rate, between 50 and 60 euros, and it is not viable for a liberal who must pay charges”, criticism Pascal Olivier. In addition, a general practitioner must refer this patient to the psychologist. “However, studies show that this slows down the journey, because many are reluctant to tell their family doctor that they are doing badly. “And general practitioners, in medical deserts or mobilized in the fight against Covid-19, already have a lot to do …
Second novelty: since February 1, 2021, students can access a psy check, which covers three reimbursed 45-minute sessions, provided they are prescribed by a doctor.
Finally, third step forward: on March 22, the federations of mutuals, health insurance and provident institutions announced the payment of consultations with psychologists, up to four per year, on medical prescription and “within the limit of 60 euros per year. session ”. A more reasonable price, according to the union. “But some mutuals already reimburse a few sessions per year,” says Vanessa Lalo. And without going through the attending physician box. “Mental health is becoming more and more a priority, nonetheless reassures Pascal Olivier. The union has never been so sought after by parliamentary attachés and ministerial cabinets. “