"World Mental Health Day is an opportunity to reflect on the needs of the most vulnerable people and on the psychic vulnerability associated with conditions of social isolation and marginalization. This year, the events of the pandemic have exacerbated the suffering of people affected by the disease psychic, often forced to live far from their families for therapeutic reasons and who in some cases found themselves facing the effects of closure in solitude ".
Thus begins the message of the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella on the occasion of World Mental Health Day.
And he continues: "A fundamental role in supporting people with mental illness continues to be played by families, often burdened with difficult management from an economic and relational point of view. The role of institutions therefore becomes important, so that no one is left alone. and everyone is allowed to access the most appropriate assistance throughout the national territory. Particular attention must be paid to schools and other educational and relational spaces, which must be encouraged and supported to create networks and forms of integration between people ".
For the head of state, therefore, "mental health is a right that must be guaranteed to all, protecting and supporting those who cannot self-represent themselves. Italy has for some time been at the forefront of its approach to the issue and constitutes a point of reference in the international context. This is why it is important to continue to support investments in mental health programs. Failure to comply with this commitment would constitute a cultural and civil setback that, right now, our country cannot afford " .
Mattarella therefore concludes: "The commitment of institutions and civil society must be to protect the dignity of every individual, supporting him also and above all in conditions of fragility.
We must stand by those who fight against psychic suffering, so that a life of inclusion and overcoming prejudices and discrimination is guaranteed to all ".