Il Milleproroghe decree, which will be discussed in the House in the coming days, will also contain the psychologist bonus, a new form of support to deal with the mental repercussions of the pandemic (but not only). This was announced by the Minister of Health, Roberto Speranza, during an interview with Lucia Annunziata to the transmission "Mezz'ora in più" on Rai3.
“We are working on the psychologist bonus and already in the Milleproroghe we will give a first signal that goes in this direction – said the minister – But be careful: with the psychologist bonus we do not solve everything; we need to strengthen the public health service in the area of mental health. There is a need for more resources for territorial and psychological assistance with systemic action. The psychologist bonus is a first sign and my commitment is there”.
The details are not yet known, because the measure is still being studied and there is no text (even unofficial) to refer to. So let's summarize the information circulated so far as indiscretions.
How much is the psychologist bonus worth
For this intervention the government should allocate 20 million euro. Not much, to tell the truth – in fact, it is said that the executive is looking for other funds – but the amount of each individual psychologist bonus should in any case be quite substantial: we are talking about 500 euros for the 2022.
Who will be able to receive the psychologist bonus
As for the target audience, the rules are coming soon they should have no age limit, while it is almost certain that there will be an income ceiling, to be identified with an Isee threshold.
For the rest, the psychologist bonus is intended to anyone suffering from mental illness, regardless – obviously – of the motivation. The subsidy will therefore be granted both for problems directly or indirectly connected to the pandemic (mourning, illness, stress caused by lockdown, Dad or smart working) but also for any other type of psychological suffering.
How the funds will be distributed
The distribution will take place in two tranches:
- 50% will be allocated to strengthening the public network of psychiatric assistance, which also includes local health authorities and consultants;
- the other half will instead go to patients, who will probably receive the psychologist bonus from the general practitioner in the form of a voucher.
The history of the psychologist bonus
The idea of creating an economic aid for mental health was floated in December by Caterina Biti, senator of the Pd, with an amendment to the maneuver approved by all parties. At the time there was talk of setting up a fund worth 50 million a year to finance two subsidies, one free and the other tied to ISEE. The government did not act immediately because the economic coverage was not sufficient at the time. Now the project has landed on the table of the Council of Ministers, albeit with a much lower budget than initially foreseen.
Data on psychological distress
According to the National Council of the Order of Psychologists, in recent years 80% of Italians have developed problems of structured psychological malaise, while 20% have had to deal with real mental discomfort.
