It is estimated that in Poland the number of mentally ill people is around 1.5 million, of which around 900,000 are suffering from mental illnesses are young people up to 18 years of age. MORS is a program that helps them with social inclusion and entering the labor market.
After leaving the psychiatric hospital, teenagers have serious difficulties withsocial integrationand do not start work. So far, there has been no institution in Poland that would provide them with comprehensive and effective support in this regard.
In 2006, the Interdepartmental Center for Sociopsychiatric RehabilitationMORSwas established in Zagórze near Warsaw. It is an innovative facility, based on the Danish model, providing young people withmental disordersthe possibility of social integration and giving them a chance to enter the labor market. The center was established as a "good practice laboratory" under the EU's EQUAL program.
MORS tasks
The MORS program combines "under one roof":
- social rehabilitation
- career counseling
- high school or vocational school
- individual learning support
- psychiatric rehabilitation (including pharmacological treatment)
- psychotherapy
- cooperation with the external environment.
Data on mental he alth disorders
- According to the assessments of the Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology in Warsaw, based on European estimates, mental disorders cost the state (national economy) a loss of 3-4% of GDP, i.e. not less than PLN 35 billion annually, and are the most common reason for receiving pensions disabled.
- In Poland, according to the Central Statistical Office, the employment rate for people with disabilities fluctuates around 15%.
- Adolescents with mental disorders constitute 1% of the population in each age group.
- It is estimated that out of approx. 15 thousand young people diagnosed with mental disorders (age group corresponding to secondary education), approx. 4500 would like to learn a profession, for which there are currently no conditions.
- It is assumed that at least 40% of MORS alumni will be able to enter the open labor market.
The center runs a wide range of interest clubs and extracurricular activities, and also organizes rehabilitation camps tohelp young people find their individual development path. Implemented with the participation of a multidisciplinary team, in close cooperation with families, the MORS program enables social integration, increasing self-esteem and improving the quality of life of people suffering from schizophrenia (in the center in Zagórze they constitute the majority of program participants) and other mental disorders (e.g. Asperger, Eating Disorders, ADHD).
People with mental illnesses and the labor market
Stereotypes, misunderstanding of mental illnesses and fear of sick people practically exclude people with mental illnesses from the society. Employers are afraid of employing such people, and the lack of work contributes to the aggravation of the existing disorders, and the poor offer of post-hospital assistance condemns the person suffering from isolation.
The situation of mentally ill youth is particularly difficult. Due to illness and significantly lowered self-esteem, rejection by peers and learning difficulties, people who were affected by a mental illness at an early age often quit their education and, according to research carried out by the hospital in Zagórz, do not start work at all.
MORS means future savings for the state
European studies confirm the economic effectiveness of environmental psychiatric therapy from the point of view of the national economy. The state budget, by supporting socio-psychiatric rehabilitation centers, limits social expenses (pensions and other benefits paid to the unemployed) and lowers the high costs of specialist treatment and care for people with mental disorders (socio-psychiatric rehabilitation reduces the likelihood of relapses).
MORS prospects
The MORS model allows young people with mental disorders to gradually and completely become independent from state aid, and their education and rehabilitation is more effective and cheaper than restoring the ability to work for adults.
Currently, there are no systemic solutions to the problem of social integration and the return to the labor market of young people with mental disorders in Poland. The experiences gained in MORS and the standards developed should serve as guidelines for the creation of new MORS, and thus for the development of community psychiatry for young people. However, this will require changes in the Polish legal system.