| Abstract [eng] |
Social relevance. Stress is a daily companion of our lives and has a huge impact on our psychosocial well-being. In today’s modern world, stress has become the biggest health risk: the World Health Organization (WHO) declares stress to be the leading cause of the health problems. The statistics are unmerciful, as even 90 percent of the Lithuanian residents often experience stress (Spinter Research, 2019)1. According to data from the representative survey, conducted by Spinter Research, 36.2 percent of the country’s population consider health care institutions as the largest source of stress. This is a significant signal that the place, where help is sought for, is a strong irritant, however, the latter survey did not exclude psychiatric hospitals where the results would be even sadder. In the summer of 2017, a public survey on stress was conducted in Lithuania. Importantly, it was found that 90% of individuals suffer from stress daily. The most common consequences of stress included increased nervousness (73 %), fatigue (56 %) and insomnia (51 %)2. 3 out of 4 Lithuanians strongly believe that long-term stress is a major threat to quality of life. According to a survey by Spinter Research, initiated by insurance company BTA, 75% of the residents consider long-term stress to be a particularly damaging factor in the quality of life. This position is followed by 70% of men and 80 percent of women.1 Furthermore, stress is the second major cause of disability worldwide. Stress is triggered by events or situations, i.e., stressors that people have to deal with. One of the stressful situations, perceived as threatening and challenging, is mental illness and frequent visits to psychiatric hospitals. Both admission to a psychiatric hospital and a changed life situation are disturbing and stressful. It is a big stress for everyone, even more to the one with mental health problems. According to the letter from the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Lithuania, the incidence of mental illnesses is constantly increasing in Lithuania, as well as in Europe. In 2007, in Lithuania, mental and behavioural disorders accounted for 55.59 cases for a thousand of residents, whereas in 2017, the number of these disorders increased up to 22 704 cases for a thousand of residents [14]. Frequently, a person enters a medical institution unexpectedly, even under dramatic circumstances, in the acute development of psychosis, after a suicide attempt. |
