Mental health in France- statistics & facts

Awareness of mental health among the French population became flagrant during the coronavirus pandemic. While lockdowns and social distancing measures were established in the country, the prevalence of depressive symptoms and sleeping problems soared. The prescriptions of anxiolytics and antidepressants rose exponentially. From March 2020 to April 2021, several million additional prescriptions of psychotropic drugs were registered in France. Access to mental health care was challenged by social distancing measures. A quick transition from face-to-face consultations with mental health specialists to teleconsultations took place. In January 2020, less than a thousand psychiatric teleconsultations took place in France, four months later over 77 thousand psychiatric teleconsultations were registered.

Access to mental health care

In France, psychological Medical Centers (CMPs) are the pillars of public psychiatric care. Resulting from a long process initiated in the 1960s, these local outpatient care structures aim at covering all mental health needs. In 2018, the number of CMPs per 100,000 inhabitants was unequally distributed throughout the French territory. CMPs are multidisciplinary establishments where psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, social workers, and other mental health workers work together. In 2020, the density of psychologists in France surpassed by far the density of psychiatrists. CMPs must cover all the extra-hospital care and needs of the psychiatric sector. They are places of varied medical and socio-psychological care at no cost to patients.

Psychiatric care

According to the number of people treated for psychiatric pathologies, mood and neurotic disorders, such as depression or generalized anxiety, were the most common type of mental illness among the French population in 2019. During that year, the second most common psychiatric pathology among men was addictive disorders. Currently, hospitalization in psychiatry is only used for acute and emergencies. Over recent years, the density of psychiatric care beds steadily decreased in France. According to a survey conducted in 2021, psychiatric outpatient care was perceived positively by the French population. One critique made towards French psychiatric hospitals is that isolation and restraint measures for patients with acute psychiatric disorders are left solely to the appreciation of healthcare providers.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Statista Research Department, Jan 10, 2024

Key insights

Number of psychiatric teleconsultations in January 2021
31.4k
Number of anxiolytics prescribed during the COVID-19 pandemic (in addition to what was expected)
3.4M
Prevalence of anxiety among the French population in September 2021
23%
Get more insights

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