by Patricia Islas, swissinfo.ch

Psychological ailments are set to become the biggest challenge for the Swiss health service in the next decade.
Inadequate or non-existent therapy will only aggravate the situation, as psychologist Alain Malafosse tells swissinfo.ch in an interview.

The specialist is not the first person to call for more coordinated research to produce better treatments. Jean-Nicolas Despland, director of the Institute for Psychotherapy at the university hospital of Canton Vaud, is also convinced that one in three Swiss people could suffer psychological problems without further research.

Last week, the Swiss Health Observatory released a report stating that “it is possible that 17 per cent of the population could be suffering from psychological disorders”.

However, estimates can vary significantly. “A range of studies confirm that between 20 to 30 per cent of the population suffers from clinical psychological disorders,” according to Daniela Schuler of the Swiss Health Observatory, which coordinates the work of cantonal and federal health authorities.

Last September the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology published research on 30 countries, including Switzerland. On average some 38.2 per cent of people in Europe suffer from psychological disorders, the report states.

These figures are no exaggeration when compared to Swiss studies, according to Malafosse.

swissinfo.ch: Is it not worrying that 38 per cent of the population is affected?
Alain Malafosse: Of course it is. I can confirm the estimates of the European study. There are very profound studies, such as that of professor Martin Preisig of Lausanne University. It shows that between 30-35 per cent of the population suffers from mental disorders.

Severe pathologies like manic depression – a significant disability – affect five-to-six per cent of the population. This is a serious public health problem.

read more here: