children and teenagers will be able to benefit from free sessions with the psychologist

Confinement affects mental health, but not just that of adults. In recent months, due to the Covid-19 crisis, many children and adolescents have shown signs of distress. Eating disorders, suicidal thoughts, depression… according to Angèle Consoli, child psychiatrist and member of the Scientific Council, hospitalizations of young people under 15 for psychiatric reasons are ” up 80% Since the start of the epidemic.

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Video by Aurore Emonnot

A figure which visibly alerted the government. Wednesday April 14, on the occasion of a trip to the child psychiatry service of the University Hospital of Reims, Emmanuel Macron indeed announced that children and adolescents will be able to benefit from free sessions with the psychologist. “Today we have a health problem that affects our children and adolescents, which is added to the epidemic (…) We see something rising that we had not known at the first confinement, an anxiety and anxieties in the youngest which were reflected in the figures ”, he admitted, according to AFP, quoted by Le Parisien. For his part, the President of the Republic evokes an increase of “40%” in pediatric emergencies.

A package of 10 sessions

More specifically, the Ministry of Health will set up a package of support for ten prepaid psychologist sessions. This concerns children and adolescents from 3 to 17 years old. Appointments can be made with partner psychologists, whose contacts will be added to a dedicated platform. Note that this must be done as part of a treatment course: it is up to the doctor to prescribe an appointment with a psychologist if he certifies that it is necessary. This “emergency” package will be activated throughout the crisis, specifies the daily.

Last January, the government had already announced a “psychological support check” for students.