Psychological bonus, 9 out of 10 patients feel better after therapy

The psychological bonus opened the doors to therapy especially to people who had never used it: 72% were not being treated at the time of the request and, among the new patients, 4 out of 5 (81%) had never gone to a therapist mainly for economic reasons. This is the picture that emerges from the results of the PsyCARE project on the impact and cost-effectiveness of the psychological bonus, presented today by the National Council of the Order of Psychologists (Cnop) in a press conference at the Chamber of Deputies.

Objectives of the study – carried out by Cnop in collaboration with the universities of Milan Bicocca, Bergamo, Catania, Palermo, Pavia and La Sapienza in Rome – to explore access to the psychologist bonus, analyze the impact of interventions on psychological symptoms, examine the role of transdiagnostic factors on psychological interventions, estimate the economic impact of the bonus by conducting a cost-effectiveness analysis and, finally, evaluate the satisfaction of the therapists and patients who participated in this initiative.

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Get informed from TV and social media

Of the sample of over 2 thousand patient-therapist couples who joined the PsyCARE project, 43% responded that they found out about the psychologist bonus through television or social media. Almost 85% of patients present more than one reason for requesting help: the main ones are psychological symptoms (58.3%), family relationships (39.4%), the desire for more in-depth knowledge of themselves (33.2%), the relationship with their partner (26.7%), traumatic events such as bereavement or illness, difficulties in studying or working and, finally, psycho-physical symptoms such as headaches or insomnia . The intervention works on reducing symptoms: -45% for those of anxiety at the end of treatment and -38% at follow-up; -24% at the end of treatment and -20% at follow-up for depression.

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Increase productivity

The data relating to the impact of the interventions on patient productivity is significant. Among those who benefited from the bonus, there was a significant decrease in the number of days of work lost due to problems related to mental health: 5 days in a month, which according to Eurostat data on labor costs is equivalent to around 1,200 euros saved per month per person. Numbers which, if compared to people with similar problems in the entire Italian population, would lead to an economic impact equal to over 1% of the country’s gross domestic product.

Furthermore, the decrease in the number of visits to the general practitioner for physical pain not directly linked to psychological discomfort and in the consumption of painkillers is significant.

Finally, both therapists and patients underline the usefulness of the bonus in promoting access to psychological care and highlight an improvement in the personal life of those who have benefited from it, both from the perspective of the therapist and that of the patient himself. Among the requests to improve the measure, that of greater allocations to increase the number of sessions and a simplification of the membership process relating above all to waiting times and procedures.

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Improves quality of life

“We are satisfied to see that the bonus measure has a significant impact on the quality of life of those who benefit from it – states the vice-president of Cnop and professor of the University of Milan-Bicocca, Laura Parolin – The data we collected with the survey project, PsyCARE, show that after the interventions, psychological symptoms decrease – such as anxiety, depression, psychological distress – and so-called trans-diagnostic factors increase, such as the ability to regulate emotions and resources interpersonal. Furthermore, the productivity of the participants also increases, understood as a decrease in lost working days, drug consumption and visits to the GP”.

“The survey project is still ongoing – adds Parolin, who is also coordinator of the PsyCARE project – but the data collected to date on over 2 thousand pairs of patients and therapists tell us that the positive changes persist even 6 months after the end of interventions. The bonus measure represents a unique and precious innovation in Italy and I trust that these promising results will promote further structural allocations to promote accessibility to psychological care: only 14% of applicants were able to access the measure and we would like this percentage to extended to cover all those in need.”

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53% feel much better

For the president of the CNOP, David Lazzari, “these data not only confirm that psychological treatments work and improve health and quality of life, but also that they impact the economy by producing lower expenses and documented savings. Furthermore, they confirm that there are many people who need psychological help and psychotherapeutic treatment and must give up for economic reasons”. Also important for Lazzari “is the opinion of those who have benefited from the bonus: 53% feel strongly improved and 36% improved, we are talking about 9 out of 10 people. I would add that we have documented how the investment of 25 million euros has produced enormously superior health and economic savings. The bonus is a piece of a network of response to psychological needs which must include school psychology and the basic psychologist, like three vertices of a triangle”.