The premature death rate may be 2 to 3 times higher! Early symptoms of schizophrenia include "3" and seek medical attention immediately
The Mental Health Law will be revised again after 15 years! Help patients escape the “revolving door”
The mental health care system has officially entered the next phase! Xue Ruiyuan, the newly appointed director of the Taiwan Ministry of Health and Welfare, said at the Care Center Press Conference that it has been 15 years since the last revision of the Mental Health Act. It is expected that the amendment will be passed smoothly during this session, and the community treatment and care for mental illness will be strengthened. By actively building community mental health centers and providing long-acting injection treatment drugs and other supporting packages, we can help people with mental illness, such as patients with schizophrenia, to successfully return to society and cut off the “revolving door” cycle of patients repeatedly returning to hospitals and communities.
Minister Xue Ruiyuan said that the second phase of the “strengthening social safety net” plan includes accelerating the construction of Taiwan’s mental health centers, increasing the number of caregivers, and improving the medical benefits of the National Health Insurance for Schizophrenia, all of which are to help patients improve their Treatment compliance rate, reducing readmission rate, and improving the quality of mental health care in the overall community.
Minister Xue Ruiyuan also cited “Beautiful New Realm” and “The Distance Between Us and Evil” as examples. Patients with mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, as long as the disease is well controlled, can not only return to the community smoothly, but also make contributions to academics and society. It is hoped that more cultural industries will invest in relevant content creation to help the public understand the truth about schizophrenia and reduce social stigma against mental illness.
It is more important for long-acting injections to obtain independently paid community referral care
Legislator Wang Wanyu said that during the revision of the Mental Health Law, after many inquiries from the government and the opposition, long-acting injections were finally allowed to be independently paid as a trial method, and clinical treatment guidelines related to early intervention were also promoted. However, all walks of life should continue to pay attention to the degree of implementation of subsequent relevant budgets, as well as the referral care and case management of community strongholds such as mental health centers.
Wang Wanyu emphasized that the first step is to reduce the “revolving door” phenomenon of patients with schizophrenia going back and forth between the hospital and the community. The more important second step is how to help patients embark on a smooth road to recovery after discharge, which relies on community medical care. Proper support. It is expected that after the amendment is passed, all walks of life will pay more attention to mental health issues.
Guangjian Community Mental Health Center turns passive care into active care system
Chen Lizhong, Director of the Department of Mental Health of Taiwan’s Ministry of Health and Welfare, said that the second phase of the “Strengthening Social Safety Net” plan is “just the beginning, not the end” on the issue of mental health care. The characteristics of mental illness are like the illness of the computer center “CPU”. Patients themselves are often not aware of it. Due to the lack of understanding of the disease, patients and their families have their lives dragged down and tortured by mental illness. It is even more necessary to start from the community and strengthen front-end prevention.
Director Chen Lizhong pointed out that schizophrenia is a more serious form of mental illness, with relatively severe brain damage and degeneration. Medical resources alone cannot help patients solve their problems. What is more important is that the care system shifts from a “proactive” approach to help patients connect to various resources, including mental health centers, personal counselors, psychologists, and community support. Service, “Now it is emphasized that we must take the initiative and not just stay in the hospital!”
In order to implement the mental health support goal, Director Chen Lizhong pointed out that the number of mental illness case managers in Taiwan has increased from only 99 in the past to 1,000, cooperating with 500 social workers. Mental health centers also have manpower such as psychologists and occupational therapists. In the mid-term plan, 71 centers are expected to be built in Taiwan, and it is hoped to complete 100 centers in Taiwan within 10 years. Construct a three-level prevention strategy, turn passivity into initiative, and prevent protective cases from occurring.
The premature mortality rate of schizophrenia is 2-3 times higher, and the readmission rate of medication discontinuation is 4 times higher.
Tsai Chang-che, chairman of the Taiwan Psychiatric Association, said that there are about 140,000 patients with schizophrenia in Taiwan, and the prevalence rate is about 0.6%. If proper treatment is not continued, disordered behavior can easily cause tension and conflict in families and interpersonal relationships, and the patient’s The mortality rate in early life is 2-3 times that of normal people.
Chairman Cai Changzhe pointed out that patients with schizophrenia are prone to interrupt medication treatment due to lack of awareness of illness. About 60% of patients take medication irregularly or even do not take medication at all. Once medication is interrupted for more than 30 days, the re-hospitalization rate will increase by four times. Through the intervention of long-acting injections, the risk of emergency department visits and hospitalization risks can be reduced by 40% and 60%, respectively. The risk of readmission within six months can also be reduced by 64%.
Thanks to the efforts of all walks of life, the National Health Insurance Schizophrenia Benefit Improvement Plan has an independent budget of 2.7 billion, and an additional budget of 60 million yuan for post-acute care (PAC) services, which will help mental disorders. patients with the disease gain better disease control.
Chairman Cai Changzhe said that the proportion of drug expenses in the first quarter of this year has increased by 14.9% from the first quarter of last year. In the future, it is expected to include more suitable cases to receive long-acting injections to improve the care of schizophrenia.
Early diagnosis and treatment are key! Understand the 15 early symptoms of schizophrenia
Secretary-General Chen Liangyu of the Taiwan Psychiatric Association pointed out that there are two key points in “turning around” the life of schizophrenia. The first is that the time from diagnosis to treatment is “the shorter the better”, and the second is the effective treatment time “the longer the better” “. In the past, clinicians could take up to several years from onset to diagnosis. They called on the public to make good use of the “Suspected Pre-Psychiatric Simple Self-Complete Scale” to discover early symptoms of schizophrenia and increase the chances of early diagnosis and early treatment.
I can’t handle the stressful feeling when I go to crowded places.
I feel like I can’t be close to others.
I can’t get motivated to do anything.
I feel that my brain power is not enough. I feel tired after thinking about things and reading some things.
I remain silent most of the time when others are around.
I sometimes worry that friends or colleagues are unfaithful or untrustworthy.
I try not to reveal my feelings.
I would feel very anxious if I had to speak in front of a large group of people.
I can’t do things (study) for a long time and want to rest all of a sudden.
I feel like I always handle something poorly.
I cannot speak with vivid expressions.
I am not good at social etiquette.
When you see others talking, do you suspect they are talking about you?
Do you often sense threats or accusations hidden behind other people’s words or actions?
Do you hear certain sounds, calls, or voices calling your name?
Secretary-General Chen Liangyu reminded that there are 15 symptoms in the “Suspected Prepsychiatric Simple Self-Complete Scale”. If you meet 8 of the symptoms, or have symptoms 1, 2, or 15, it is recommended to seek help from the Department of Psychosomatics as soon as possible. As for patients who have been diagnosed with schizophrenia, long-acting injections can help maintain drug concentration in the body and help stabilize the patient’s symptoms. It is of great help to patients with irregular work and rest periods and poor awareness of the disease.
Secretary-General Chen Liangyu said that the therapeutic effect of schizophrenia is related to whether the drug concentration in the body is stable. Treatment with long-acting injections can reduce irregular medication and treatment interruption rates, and reduce the risk of recurrence and death. The latest study conducted by the National Institutes of Health and the National Taiwan University School of Public Health points out that long-acting injections can reduce the hospitalization rate of patients with schizophrenia by 15%-20%, showing that proper treatment with long-acting injections can indeed reduce relapses and hospitalizations. probability.
Secretary-General Chen Liangyu emphasized that every onset of schizophrenia will cause irreversible damage to the brain. The golden treatment period of the first five years after the onset of the disease should be grasped, and medication should be actively cooperated with the doctor’s instructions and used regularly. If oral medication is often interrupted or ineffective, both international and Taiwanese treatment guidelines recommend considering long-acting injections, which can improve medication compliance, reduce medication interruption rates, and reduce the chance of relapse.
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