The SNS 24 Psychological Counseling Line, which marked its 1rd anniversary this Saturday, April 3, has already helped more than 210 people.
The service is always provided by psychologists and has been a close response in mental health and a support for users and health professionals who seek it in difficult times.
In three years, more than 14 calls were made by health professionals.
«This SNS 24 service has already proven its usefulness and continues to be an asset, in the post-pandemic period, in all contexts. This year alone, it exceeded 17 calls, approaching an average of 200 daily calls. Also available in English, since 2022, the psychological counseling of the SNS 24 started to guarantee a response to non-Portuguese-speaking people, totaling, to date, more than 3400 calls», say the Shared Services of the Ministry of Health, in a press release. press.
For the most part, the calls received are related to problems and symptoms associated with anxiety, the worsening of previous psychopathology, management and adaptation in a crisis situation.
In emergent situations, in which the psychologist identifies that there is danger for the user or for third parties, the call is transferred to INEM, which ensures the activation of the appropriate means of assistance.
The psychologist can also identify the need for referral to the SNS 24 Screening, Counseling and Referral service, if he considers that the situation was not resolved with psychological counseling or that he presents another type of symptomatology.
An international study on violence in Health, published in 2022 by the International Federation of Hospitals (IHF), highlighted Linha as a dedicated telephone support service, with psychologists specifically trained to act in cases of violence against health professionals, for intervention in crises and monitoring at national level.
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