A colleague who becomes euphoric or irritable, a friend who says strange things… It’s not always easy to know what attitude to adopt when you have the feeling that someone close to you is in trouble. However, this type of difficulty is relatively common. Mental illnesses and psychological disorders affect almost one in five people in France, reminds Health Insurance.
Michel Barnier announced that mental health the great national cause of 2025, Among the stated priorities is the goal of changing the way we address psychological and mental disorders, but also of developing prevention and early detection. it’s there the government’s ambition: identify risk situations and raise awareness “in all areas of society.”
How to react if the situation occurs to those around you? Mental health specialists give their advice.
1. Pay attention to warning signs
Whether it’s a loved one or a colleague, the first instinct is to identify the signs that should alert you. Problems with concentration, loss of contact with others, isolation, aggression, irritability… “This is any behavior that does not correspond to the person’s usual attitude,” explains Isabelle Secret to BFMTV.com, head of the department of hospital adult psychiatry. the Grand Hôpital de l’Est Ile-de-France in Marne-la-Vallée (Seine-et-Marne).
“This is a change, a rupture, whether verbal or non-verbal,” says Maurice Bensoussan, president of the Union of French Psychiatrists.
Although clinical psychologist José Presas Rodríguez recognizes that it is not always easy to differentiate between “a passing attack of sadness” and “something more serious,” he calls for caution with any lasting mood change.
“For example, if the person no longer comes to chat in front of the coffee machine, no longer participates in moments of conviviality, no longer gives news or, on the contrary, becomes euphoric,” he warns BFMTV.com.
“It’s not that a colleague doesn’t come to lunch once that we should be alarmed,” insists Dana Castro, psychologist and psychotherapist, for BFMTV.com. “But if you say you’re overwhelmed, overwhelmed by work, your behavior changes, be careful that you don’t set yourself up for burnout.”
2. Go beyond “how are you?”
Psychiatrist Maurice Bensoussan encourages engaging in conversation beyond simple polite exchanges. “You have to be careful with the banality of certain words, of ‘how are you’ that doesn’t really demand a response and prevents sensitivity from arising.” The specialist instead recommends phrases like “I’m worried about you” or “I have the impression that something is bothering you.”
“Everything depends of course on the relationship we have with the person,” adds José Presas Rodríguez, also a member of the national office of the National Union of Psychologists. Thus invite the greatest delicacy.
“If the person does not want to talk, we do not have to force them, but we can let them know that we are available in case they change their mind.”
Dana Castro, member and trainer of the French Federation of Psychologists and Psychologists, also advises avoiding any form of curiosity. “We don’t say to the person who feels bad: ‘Well, go ahead and tell them,’ which could be seen as gossip. The ideal is to ask how we can help.”
3. Don’t judge
If the person is confident enough to talk to you, it is still imperative, warns Isabelle Secret-Bobolakis, also deputy secretary general of the French Federation of Psychiatry: let him express himself and listen to him without judging him. “They are simple things, but they are already enormous,” says Maurice Bensoussan. “Of course a family member is not going to make a diagnosis, that is not their role, but it is a first support.”
“The most important thing is to be available when someone seems to be suffering,” recalls this psychiatrist who invites us to avoid all stigmatization.
“Psychological unhappiness is a suffering like any other that must be addressed,” he insists. According to data from Public Health France, 12.5% of people between 18 and 85 years old have experienced a marked depressive episode in the last twelve months.
4. Avoid unsolicited advice
“What helps is listening carefully,” says psychologist Dana Castro, also author of These life experiences that make us grow. It warns against two dangers: minimizing the person’s problems and giving advice. “You don’t tell someone who can’t get over the death of their dog, ‘It’s okay, it was just a dog.'”
“If someone is going through a difficult professional situation and their boss is putting a lot of pressure on them, there is no point in saying, ‘You just have to say no.’”
5. Refer to a health professional.
“These are often very delicate situations to manage,” admits psychiatrist Isabelle Secret-Bobolakis. If the person suffering seems open to discussion, and the situation is not urgent, it may be suggested that they contact their treating doctor, psychologist or psychiatrist if they are already under treatment.
On a professional level, the company’s health department can also be a contact person. For Isabelle Secret-Bobolakis, an employee cannot intervene alone: ”It is preferable to turn to the director, that is his role.” The Labor Code actually specifies that “the employer adopts the necessary measures to guarantee the safety and protect the physical and mental health of workers.”
An approach that does not apply to all situations, warns psychologist José Presas Rodríguez. “If we assume that the person’s condition is related to professional difficulties, to an environment within the company or even to a conflict with their hierarchy, we could also avoid getting involved with their superior,” he insists.
However, it is possible to direct it towards My psychological support system which offers reimbursement for psychological support sessions conducted by approved psychologists approved by Health Insurance. Sessions aimed at people over 3 years old with mild to moderate mental disorders.
Please note: it is also possible to participate in mental health first aid training, following the same model as training in physical first aid actions. Training that can be carried out, in particular, in a professional environment.
6. Go to emergency services if necessary
If his condition seems worrying, psychiatrist Isabelle Secret-Bobolakis suggests offering to accompany him to a healthcare service. In Paris, for example, there is the Center for Psychiatric Guidance and Reception (CPOA), a walk-in psychiatric emergency and reception service 24 hours a day.
Reception and crisis centers (CAC) and permanent reception centers (CAP), depending on the territory, treat and may also hospitalize people in a state of crisis for a short period. More simply, it is perfectly possible to resort to hospital emergency services, which deal with psychiatric emergencies in the same way as physical emergencies.
Because certain situations can actually constitute a psychiatric emergency. “In the event of a depressive episode, a bipolar person may be in a very serious state with suicidal thoughts, although they may not necessarily verbalize them,” warns Isabelle Secret-Bobolakis.
A psychiatric emergency is defined as “a request whose response cannot be delayed”, meaning that you cannot, for example, wait for an appointment with a specialist several days later, explains Psycom, a public information and awareness organization on mental health. “There is an emergency from the moment someone asks the question, whether it is the patient, their loved ones or the doctor.”
Extreme depression, strange behavior or comments, agitated state, violence towards oneself, towards others, objects and furniture, delusions or hallucinations… If the person refuses all help and the situation worsens, you should not hesitate. in dialing emergency numbers. On the 15th for Samu, which can activate emergency services or indicate the structure to go to.
Source: BFM TV
