Mental health overlooked as a real political issue in France
In an op-ed in Le Monde, Anne-Sophie de Surgy, psychologist and national secretary for mental health at the PS, criticizes the lack of concrete public policies for mental health despite 2025 promises. She describes individual malaise as an indicator of the overall health of democracy. On the ground, mental disorders affect 13 million French people annually, with alarming waiting times for care.
The year 2025 was meant to herald a revolution in mental health care, designated a 'great national cause' after years of neglect in public policies. Yet, according to Anne-Sophie de Surgy, all that remains is 'a catchy slogan, green numbers, a media campaign, and criticized devices'.
Emmanuel Macron addressed the issue through the lens of communication, overlooking 'listening to the population, presence with professionals, and the deployment of concrete and sustainable means'. Multiplying devices does not address structural causes, she asserts. On the ground, the situation is alarming: one in five people, or 13 million French, is affected by a mental disorder each year. Suicide remains one of the leading causes of death among youth, while anxiety spreads in a tense national and international context.
School medicine is 'devastated' by a glaring shortage of staff, making student follow-up impossible as youth and student malaise grows. Psychiatric emergency visits are rising, as is demand for pediatric psychiatry stays. Waiting times for a first appointment at a medico-psychological center range from six months to a year, and up to two years in pediatric psychiatry. Access to a psychiatrist is 'extremely difficult, if not impossible' in some areas. Work-related depressions are exploding, and mental disorders are the primary cause of long-term sick leave.
Despite this, mental health remains underfunded: psychiatry receives a low allocation relative to the scale of disorders, and prevention investments are minimal. De Surgy accuses Macron of allowing a 'desert' to form where many lack support, urging that mental health be treated as a real political issue.