mental health in the center versus the periphery

What is the difference between mental health in the center versus the periphery?

One of the most frequently asked questions for mental health professionals, such as Professor Moshe Kotler, is whether there is a difference between the center and the periphery. According to estimates currently available in Israel, the data indicate a relatively high gap between these areas. A person who lives in the periphery does not receive the same treatment as a person who lives in Tel Aviv, Gush Dan or other cities in the center. Add to this the fact that psychiatry in the periphery also suffers from inequality in relation to ordinary medicine, reveal that this is a worrying phenomenon that requires professional attention.

According to recent studies conducted by Prof. Moshe Kotler and others, the gaps in health status do not exist only in relation to psychiatry. For example, differences in infant mortality can be seen by district. In the south there is the highest percentage, followed by mortality in the north, Jerusalem, Haifa, Tel Aviv and the entire Central Region.

What characterizes psychiatry in the periphery?
Apart from the above, there are some characteristics identified with the field of psychiatry in the periphery:

A. Rural character - A large part of the population living in the periphery, mainly in the south but also in the north, leads a rural lifestyle. The consequences are, inter alia, a great distance and difficulty in obtaining proper psychiatric services.

B. Lack of resources - the main emphasis of the findings of Professor Moshe Kotler and other experts is on the lack of resources existing in peripheral areas. The shortage does not enable the deployment of services and does not provide residents of the south or the north with the treatment they deserve.

third. Manpower - There is also a problem of manpower that does not undergo the appropriate training, or alternatively the lack of manpower in some of the mental health clinics in the periphery. This problem is less prevalent in the center and in Tel Aviv.

There are many possible solutions that can be applied to improve the state of psychiatry in the periphery, but it is important to adopt them as soon as possible.