Designing the Well-Being of Romanians by Achieving Mental Health with Digital Methods and Public Health Promotion

Abstract

Taking care of mental health is a state of mind. Amid the challenges of the current context, mental health has become one of the problems with the greatest impact on citizens and the evolution of any economy. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, people have become more anxious, solitary, preoccupied with themselves, and depressed because their entire universe has changed, by restricting their social and professional life; the increase in concern caused by a possible illness of them or those close to them made to isolate themselves. Two qualitative (group and in-depth interviews) and one survey-based quantitative research were carried out, which allowed the quantification of the opinions, perceptions, and attitudes of Romanians regarding the effectiveness of policies for the prevention and treatment of depression. Quantitative research revealed that most of the subjects had never participated in a mental health assessment, and a quarter of them had visited a mental health specialist more than two years ago. Based on the results, proposals were elaborated, which have been addressed both to the specialists from the Ministry of Health and to those from the academic environment, that may have an impact on the elaboration of some public mental health programs.

Completed Suicide Linked to the COVID-19 Pandemic by Using the Psychological Autopsy Method in Sibiu County, Romania: Case Series and Literature Review

“…Mental disorders in Romania represented 11.89% of the population, of which depressive disorders accounted for 3.51% and anxiety disorders for 3.86%. These values are close to the Central European average and lower than the values recorded globally, but well below those recorded for Western Europe [ 13 ]. Thus, until completed suicide, some symptoms of depression and/or anxiety are likely to appear and develop.…”

Status of Healthy Choices, Attitudes and Health Education of Children and Young People in Romania—A Literature Review

“…When discussing prevention systems, the use of mental health strategies and implementing solutions involves preparing legal, financial, and educational support aspects. In order to effectively implement digital tools in depression prevention, public policies must address legislation, healthcare training, and public education, with a focus on digital skills and new technology acceptance [97].…”

Integrated Digital Mental Health Care: A Vision for Addressing Population Mental Health Needs

“…18 A collaboration between the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Digital Hub for Mental Health and the World Organization of Family Doctors has laid out basic steps in expanding mental health services within primary care, including with the support of digital tools, across the Asia-Pacific region. 19 Broadly, the desire to incorporate digital approaches in addressing mental health needs in the primary care setting has been described across the world, [19][20][21] and international partnerships to develop strategies for both digital tool dissemination and standard setting may be beneficial in the current juncture of digital health evolution. 22 While the deployment of digital solutions alone will not address the full extent of mental illness in the primary care setting, these solutions represent a substantial opportunity to transform the delivery of mental health care and improve population-wide outcomes.…”