Serbia is under a threat of a red mental alarm

According to the number of people suffering from depression, even before the COVID-19 pandemic, Serbia, with five percent of patients, was above the world average. Experts estimate that the impact of the current pandemic on people's mental health will be substantial and that the number of mental disorders caused by stress around the world is growing. According to the World Economic Forum, every third person has developed anxiety and depression caused by the newly-arisen situation, and local psychiatrists and psychologists expect a similar trend in Serbia. In order to prevent the coronavirus pandemic from being accompanied by an epidemic of mental disorders, the Hemofarm Foundation in cooperation with the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade and supported by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Serbia launches a national campaign for preserving mental health and fighting the growing depression and stigma that accompanies those suffering from depression called ’UNBREAKABLE’.

Billboards with the message 'Beware, Fragile' and ‘Don’t Let It Break You’ visible in 18 towns in Serbia, are the first activity in a series comprising this campaign, the main target of which is to raise awareness of the public about depression, importance of prevention and protection of mental health of Serbian citizens, as well as providing direct support to people suffering from depression. The campaign ‘UNBREAKABLE’ is a movement for empowering persons with depression, providing a network of professional support to patients and calling for active engagement of everyone in the fight against this disorder and stigma attached to people struggling with it. Within this campaign, the Hemofarm Foundation has provided:

• In cooperation with Telekom Srbija company, free SOS hotline 0800 001 002, operating 24/7 where citizens will be able to seek professional help: one at the Special Hospital for Psychiatric Diseases ‘Dr Slavoljub Bakalović’ in Vršac and the other at the Special Hospital for Psychiatric Diseases in Gornja Toponica.

• address book of institutions for mental health care, in which the contact information of a large number of specialized health institutions in our country will be listed in one place.

• on the website www.nesalomivi.rs there are available texts and advice of our experts for the improvement of psycho-social health, confessions of people struggling with depression, as well as the most frequently asked questions and answers for overcoming this disease.

Srbiji preti crveni mentalni alarm

‘For 27 years already, the Hemofarm Foundation has been launching topics important for our society – they are not always pleasant but are important for the well-being of all of us. After the initial care for physical health and fight against the virus, faith in the science and finding the vaccine, in this year 2021 we are facing with a marked impact of the pandemic on the mental state of the nation. It is necessary to pay special attention to our mental health and that is why, with this campaign, we open a topic that has the status of red alarm, we call an alert and ask for engagement of the entire society’, said Ronald Seeliger, CEO of Hemofarm, about the new campaign.

As the minister of health, Zlatibor Lončar, says, mental health is equally important as physical health, and the significance of the national campaign ‘Unbreakable’ is reflected precisely in various forms of support which will be provided to the citizens of Serbia within this campaign. ‘The Hemofarm Foundation, the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade and the Ministry of Health have provided professional assistance to anyone who needs it, and we have a common goal – fight for the health of the nation. We are aware that life was not easy during the previous year, due to the unique situation in the whole world, therefore, our common goal is to prevent the COVID-19 pandemic from leaving serious consequences on the mental health of citizens’ said minister Lončar.

Why is the national campaign important? Survey conducted within 23 March and 25 April last year by the scientific-research team from the universities in Belgrade and Kragujevac* on a sample of 1,057 adult citizens across Serbia, has shown that depression, anxiety and stress prevailed in the population of Serbia during the COVID-19 pandemic. One month after declaring the state of emergency, 28.9 respondents reported a moderate to severe depression, 36.9 percent anxiety, and 38.1 percent moderate to severe symptoms of stress. This survey shows worrying indicators, while clear trends concerning the nation’s mental health will be available following the ongoing national surveys.

Having in mind these statistics and evaluation of the mental state of citizens, Hemofarm Foundation calls for the national unity in terms of prevention, but also in facing depression for the purpose of timely treatment. The Hemofarm Foundation’s campaign is supported by numerous institutions and organization in Serbia as well as the media, while individuals and organizations that subsequently wish to join can do so via website www.nesalomivi.rs. Become a part of the largest support network for people fighting depression. Become UNBREAKABLE and give your contribution to fight against depression.

*Scientific paper titled ‘Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Epidemic and Mental Health Status in the General Adult Population of Serbia: A Cross-Sectional Study’, was published on 17 February this year in a prestigious scientific magazine “International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health'', with the top scientific rank M21. The scientific research team consisted of PhD students of medical sciences from the Faculty of Medical Sciences in Kragujevac: Teodora Safiye, Jakša Dubljanin, Bojana Milikić, Draško Dubljanin and Emina Popović, associate professors of the Faculty of Medicine in Belgrade Isidora Vujčić and Eleonora Dubljanin, as well as full professor at the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade, Milanko Čabarkapa. Additional information about the research (link to the blog https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/4/1957/htm).