ROME (ITALPRESS) – For the second year in a row and in anticipation of World Mental Health Day on Oct. 10, 2024, the Order of Medical Radiology and Technical, Rehabilitation and Prevention Health Professions Technicians (TSRMs and PSTRPs) of Milan, Como, Lecco, Lodi, Monza Brianza and Sondrio is participating in Milano4MentalHealth 2024, the schedule of initiatives of the City of Milan dedicated to raising awareness on the issue of mental distress. “We accepted without hesitation the invitation of Councillor for Welfare Lamberto Bertolè,” says Diego Catania, President of the Order. “Today the mental health emergency appears even more worrisome in light of the ‘vocation crisis’ of the Health Professions in general and of the nursing professions in particular: I’m thinking, for example, of the Degree Courses in Professional Education, Psychiatric Rehabilitation Techniques and Occupational Therapy, which in recent years have registered a sharp drop in applications. We are talking about a consequent shortage of Professionals who play an essential role as a bridge between the vulnerable person and the community, working in territorial services to support families.” “The solution to the problem cannot be one-size-fits-all, but must perspective targeted actions on different levels,” Catania continues. “Action must be taken to promote the care professions, on the one hand, and to make the organizational structure of territorial services more efficient, on the other. In the paradigm shift that is on the horizon, a shift to a multi- and inter-professional approach, capable of fostering exchange and mutual support between different profiles, proves to be fundamental.” With this in mind, the Order is promoting the slogan for its participation in this year’s Milano4MentalHealth, “Mental health: a picture of a thousand colors,” which expresses the variety of skills and professional profiles at play in taking care of mental distress. “The transversality of the topic of mental health and multidisciplinarity as an opportunity are at the center of the talk organized by the Order and included in the Milano4MentalHealth review,” says Maurizio Vergari, Board Member of the Order and coordinator of the initiative. “If the interaction between Health Professionals of the same disciplinary area is or should already be a reality, in fact, the new frontiers of research prospect possible synergies even between apparently very distant disciplinary areas. Thus, in the conference, the contributions of Neurophysiopathology Technicians (TNFPs) and Radiology Technicians (TSRMs), who offer a technical-diagnostic point of view to the taking care of mental and cognitive disorders, find their place alongside the interventions of Professions specifically oriented to the accompaniment and rehabilitation of mental distress. For TNFPs, they discuss non-invasive transcranial stimulation methods, which can help alleviate symptoms of anxiety and depression; for TSRMs, on the other hand, innovative imaging techniques that allow them to detect, ‘in vivò,’ early signs of alteration in brain activity and thus the possible onset of neurodegenerative diseases.” At the conference “A Multidisciplinary Approach to Mental Health: The Health Professions of the TSRM and PSTRP Order of Milan, Como, Lecco, Lodi, Monza Brianza and Sondrio tell their stories,” at the House of Rights of the Municipality of Milan, was also attended by Professional Educators, talking about rehabilitation projects related to physical activity, such as walking groups; Psychiatric Rehabilitation Technicians (TeRPs), who delved into rehabilitation interventions on individuals with mental disabilities; the Occupational Therapists, who dealt with the promotion of independence and quality of life in the face of difficulties in managing daily activities; and the Speech and Language Therapists, who analyzed the social repercussions of Language and Learning Disorders in the course of school and professional life. The Board of Speech Therapists will also curate, on Saturday, October 12, and in the setting of the Franco Parenti Theater, an animated reading dedicated to children aged 6 to 36 months, to encourage the linguistic and communicative development of the youngest children. In the Order’s initiatives, in short, the ‘multicolorè team for mental health of the future is outlined, without neglecting the critical issues and challenges of the present. “It should not be forgotten that the issue of mental health concerns first and foremost the Health Professionals themselves,” President Catania concludes. “Health professionals are often crushed by high stress due to responsibilities, tiring shifts, risk of aggression and violence, and poor social, economic and professional recognition. Shifting to a multidisciplinary and synergistic approach can help address some of these issues, such as feelings of isolation and work overload. For the other weaknesses in the system, however, we need to continue to work with policymakers and the citizenry so that physical and mental health is recognized as an invaluable resource for the entire community: an asset to be cherished and valued, like the Professionals called upon to protect it.”(ITALPRESS).
Photo: Press and Communication Office TSRM and PSTRP Order of Milan, Como, Lecco, Lodi, Monza Brianza and Sondrio
