France to Guarantee Mental Health Care for At-Risk Youth Within 2 Days
"There will be an organization across the country among health professionals that will make it possible to get an appointment within 24-48 hours," Stéphanie Rist told broadcaster Franceinfo.
The initiative specifically targets students flagged by the education system as being in acute psychological need and requiring urgent intervention.
Rist outlined that school-based personnel — spanning nurses, doctors, teachers, and principals — will be empowered to contact emergency medical services directly in order to secure rapid appointments with psychologists or psychiatrists. Regional health agencies will shoulder responsibility for coordinating the system during critical situations within schools.
The minister drew a parallel between the new framework and existing healthcare access services that already guarantee doctor appointments within 24 to 48 hours for patients who lack a regular physician.
The urgency behind the policy is underscored by alarming data: hospitalizations for suicide attempts among girls between the ages of 10 and 14 have more than doubled since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rist pointed to steps already taken, noting that the government has steadily expanded the number of psychologists and accelerated the training of psychiatrists — particularly within the field of child psychiatry — in recent years. While conceding that access to care remains an ongoing challenge, she argued that earlier intervention holds the potential to significantly reduce hospitalizations.
The minister also set an ambitious target for the psychiatric sector at large, announcing that the government aims to fully eliminate the use of physical restraint in psychiatric care by 2030.
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