site.btaPsychologists Call for Adoption of Special Law to Regulate Psychological Services

The Bulgarian Psychological Society (BPS) held a BTA press conference, insisting that a law on mental health services be passed in Parliament.

A bill was adopted at first reading more than two years ago, the BPS noted, and called for the adoption of the legal texts in order to regulate the profession, stop unregulated practices and introduce European work standards.

“In Bulgaria, psychology is an unregulated profession, there is no legal regulation for our activity, which hinders greater efficiency in providing a better service to people,” they pointed out. Prof. Sonya Karabelova, Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy of the Sofia University pointed out that in Germany the health insurance fund pays for psychological consultations and expressed the hope that after the possible adoption of a law, a similar payment by the health insurance fund could be discussed in Bulgaria as well.

Prof. Antoaneta Hristova, director of the  Institute for Population and Human Studies, said that the lack of regulation of the professional activity of psychologists does not guarantee the rights of persons who are the subject of psychological activity. She argued that if there is a law on the professional activity of psychologists, then all violations will be clearly regulated and it will be possible to exercise control over the activities of registered psychologists. “When we adopt the European work standards here,” the programmes at the universities would also change,” she added.

The Tenth International Congress of Psychology will take place in Sofia on November 3 and 4. About 180 scientific reports will be presented during the forum, said Stoyо Nedin, BPS Vice-president. The reports will touch on topics related to the excessive use of the Internet and social media and their negative effects on mental health, especially among teenagers and single people, he added. The reports will also focus on the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as on interventions and coping strategies. Other topics will include climate change, which may lead to an increase in environmental anxiety, as well as mental health struggles related to the increase of obesity in the population.

Several studies related to mental well-being and temporal dimensions of life satisfaction among women in adulthood will also be presented during the congress; the impact of social media on interpersonal relationships; the influence of social media on children's aggressiveness; the impact of breastfeeding on postpartum depression, etc.