Navigating Mental Healthcare in France

Finding one’s way through a new country’s healthcare system is not easy, especially when it comes to mental health. It can be confusing, scary and might even feel dismissive.  So here is simple guide to navigating mental healthcare in France.

a.       First point of contact

b.       Preparing for the doctor’s visit

c.        Getting therapy

d.       Getting diagnosed

e.       Taking a sick leave/accommodation at work

f.         Hospitalization & emergency

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France

a. First point of contact

In France, your first point of contact is typically your médecin généraliste (GP) or a psychologist.

GPs can refer you to mental health professionals such as psychologists or psychiatrists. Be clear and honest about how your symptoms affect your daily life—emotionally, physically, and socially.

If you want time off work – ask it openly. This is not offered by default, so discuss it with the doctor openly if you think this is something that might help.

If you don’t have a GP yet, you can look for one on Doctolib.fr or ask your local pharmacy or social services for a recommendation. You are free to choose your GP but officially declaring one (médecin traitant) is important to ensure better reimbursements through your public insurance.

You can also talk directly to a psychologist without talking to GP first. You can find one here https://monsoutienpsy.ameli.fr/recherche-psychologue . In the first contact they will run assessment and then propose the way forward and exchange messages with your GP. This might be the preferred way if your request to doctor is therapy (rather than medication or time off work).

b. Preparing for a doctor’s visit

Doctors receive a lot of requests and will interpret yours based on their experience, that might be predominately local. And if you are from a culture that tends to minimize personal experiences and pain, you need to make sure they get the full picture.

It might be useful to:

·       Write down your symptoms, when they started, progressed, and how they affect your life: mentally (focus, mood, thoughts, contact with environment), physically (sleep, eating habits, energy, pulse, breath), in relationships

·       Take a mental health test available online. E.g., here are the tests from Mental Health America. Note, that their tests are not supposed to diagnose you – much more goes into diagnosis than a short test – but might help to find the language or assign words to what you are experiencing

·       Talk to your preferred LLM (e.g., Chat GPT) about your experiences and discuss what is reasonable to mention to a doctor. This will help you to formulate and also pick up on things that might feel irrelevant or too small, but are, in fact, important for the discussion.   

·        Bring any relevant medical or mental health history

·       Clearly ask what you’re hoping for (e.g., therapy, diagnosis, medication)

·       Practice what you would like to say with a friend, family member or yourself.

Remember, you always have a right to a second opinion. If you feel, that the situation is not addressed seriously enough, raise that. You can also bring someone else with you to advocate, if you afraid of not being able to communicate your needs properly at the moment.

c. Getting therapy

Therapy, or therapy in combination with medication is a go-to way to address mental health problems. You can access therapy in France either through:

1. The public system:

   • Free or partially covered therapy sessions with a psychologist if referred by your GP (e.g., via MonParcoursPsy initiative). This is the most commonly offered option.

The doctor will typically refer to specialist they know, so check if reimbursement applies in particular case. You can also your ordonnance to find and book here https://monsoutienpsy.ameli.fr/recherche-psychologue

2. Psychiatrists (covered by Sécurité Sociale, partially reimbursed).

   
   

3. Private therapists:

   • You can see a psychologist or psychotherapist privately. Some mutuelles (private insurance) reimburse a portion.

     
     

Language note: It’s okay to ask for someone who speaks your language or is familiar with your cultural background.

You can find providers via:

• Doctolib.fr

• Psychologue.net

• Local expat groups or embassies sometimes keep lists of English-speaking practitioners.

  
  

Note: “Psychologist” is a protected title in France, but “coach” or “therapist” is not. Be sure to verify their credentials and that their support fits your needs. Therapists and coaches may be useful in some cases, though keep in mind:

a) there is no standard, and you need to check for their education/certification yourself to see if this is enough for you

b) they are not allowed to work with complex mental health issues. You can use them as overall mental health support, e.g., for stress, burnout, mild anxiety – as long as this does not cross clinical red lines. Examples of red lines – suspected disorders, self-harm, unstable states, trauma.

Also, consider getting remote therapy. It is often cheaper and allows to find a therapist speaking your language and having common cultural background.

d. Getting diagnosed

Psychiatrists can provide official diagnoses for conditions like anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, etc. These are important for accessing certain treatments or accommodations at work or school.

Diagnosis might not always be clearly communicated unless you ask—so feel free to bring it up. Mental health care in France can still carry stigma in some contexts, so professionals may avoid labeling unless needed.

e. Taking sick leave at work

If mental health affects your ability to work, you can be signed off work by your GP or psychiatrist. You don’t have to disclose your diagnosis to your employer—just that you are unwell.

For longer-term cases, you may be referred to a médecin du travail (occupational doctor). They help assess your ability to work and suggest adaptations. French law protects your privacy—your employer cannot know your diagnosis or access your medical files.

You can request:

-          Part-time sick leave (temps partiel thérapeutique)

-          Workplace adjustments

-          Reintegration plans

In case of discrimination or pressure, contact a local union (syndicat) or Defenseur des Droits.

f.       Hospitalization & Emergency

If your symptoms are severe (e.g., risk to yourself or others), hospitalization may be needed. This usually goes through the doctor, but in urgent cases, you can also call 15 (Samu – medical emergency) or go to the local urgences psychiatriques (psychiatric emergency) at your local hospital.

You may have a concern that you might get “blacklisted” or your employer will be informed. This is not the case in FR. No information about place/reasons hospitalization is not going to be shared with employer: just that you are sick. This even applies to your partner and family – any information will be shared only if you allow it.

In rarer cases of involuntary admission police or local authorities might be involved, but again, they do not share information with others.

Other useful contacts in case of emergency:

-          3114 – the national suicide prevention line (free, 24/7)

-          O1 45 39 40 00 - Suicide Écoute

-          01 40 44 46 45 - SOS Suicide Phénix

-          01 46 21 46 46 - SOS Help (English-speaking support line)

You can find more here: https://findahelpline.com/countries/fr/topics/suicidal-thoughts

There are a lot of organizations that provide focused support, e.g., in for specific situations – e.g., bipolar disorder, or to selected groups – e.g. LGBTQ.

You're doing your best, and asking for help is an important step. You're not alone.