At least one in five Poles needs psychiatrist

Nearly 200,000 patients are admitted annually to psychiatric hospitals, Deputy Minister Igor Radziewicz-Winnicki told parliament when presenting a progress report on the national mental health programme.

As many as 1.5 million Poles seek psychiatric help on an outpatient basis each year, also he said. The most common ailments include depression, anxiety and irritability.

Over 10 percent of Poles show symptoms of panic attacks, social anxiety and anger-management issues.

In 2013, 195,500 patients were admitted to hospital on mental-health grounds, a decline of 1,600 on the previous year. The average period of hospitalization was 30 days. (an)

Source: PAP