Syracuse: "There's widespread discomfort among all ages, and social media is increasing isolation."

"Treat the individual, not the individual disorder, in diversified settings that will have as their primary point of reference the Department of Mental Health, equipped with adequate resources, with a view to integration with the local community." This is how Alberto Siracusano , Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at the University of Rome Tor Vergata, coordinator of the Mental Health Committee, and recently appointed President of the Higher Health Council by Health Minister Orazio Schillaci , outlines the new Mental Health Plan 2025-2030, which is expected to be approved by the Joint Conference at the end of July.

What conclusions should be drawn?

Ours is a framework document, the fruit of a concerted effort to synthesise and overcome corporatism, thirteen years after the previous one. In it, we propose innovative approaches. Among others, those on the transition from pediatric to adulthood, support for mothers and families in the peripartum period, implementation of risk management criteria for the safety of staff and patients, management of mental health among prisoners and in REMS, adequate training, and the central integrated department model.

In fact, the DSM becomes a point of reference for all problems

This is because each patient is unique, and today, multiple complex situations prevail within a single patient. I'm referring to substance use, perhaps in the form of addiction, anxiety and depression, along with other pathologies, including organic ones. Care must be structured in integrated teams to treat the individual, not just the individual aspect of the disorder.