Mental health is one of the official topics of the prevention check-up: the consultation helps identify persistent low mood, anxiety or depressed mood, without making a diagnosis, and then points you to your regular doctor, to a psychologist through Mon soutien psy (France’s program of reimbursed psychologist sessions) or, if you have suicidal thoughts, to 3114, France’s national suicide prevention line, which is free and open 24 hours a day.
Why talk about mental health in an adult prevention check-up?
Because psychological distress is common, often silent, and responds better to care the earlier it is identified. Every week in our consultations, we see patients who come in for back pain, fatigue or sleep problems, behind which lies depression or anxiety that no one has named. The prevention check-up offers dedicated time to do so, with no specific complaint and no urgency.
Figures from Santé publique France, the French public health agency, show the scale of the issue. According to the 2021 Health Barometer survey, 12.5% of people aged 18 to 85 had experienced a major depressive episode in the previous twelve months. Among 18- to 75-year-olds, prevalence rose by 3.5 points between 2017 and 2021, from 9.8% to 13.3%. The sharpest increase was among young adults aged 18 to 24, rising from 11.7% to 20.8% over the same period. Women, people living alone, single-parent families, and people who are unemployed or in financial difficulty are the most exposed.
Preventing mental health problems does not mean “screening for depression” the way you screen for cancer. It means identifying warning signs that persist, protecting what protects you — sleep, physical activity, social ties, controlled alcohol use — and shortening the often long delay between the onset of distress and the first help.
Which warning signs does the prevention check-up pick up?
Using the self-assessment questionnaire and the conversation, the prevention check-up picks up warning signs: persistent sadness or loss of interest, unusual fatigue, sleep and appetite problems, overwhelming anxiety, isolation, using alcohol or cannabis to “keep going,” and dark thoughts. It does not make a diagnosis; it opens the door to an assessment.
For reference, the French National Authority for Health (HAS), in its November 2017 recommendation on major depressive episodes in adults, describes an episode that “must have lasted at least two weeks, be accompanied by near-daily symptoms that disrupt work and social life, and cause significant distress.” The main symptoms are depressed mood, loss of interest or pleasure, and fatigability; associated symptoms affect concentration, self-esteem, guilt, outlook on the future, sleep and appetite, and may include suicidal thoughts. Two weeks and an impact on daily life: that is what we try to distinguish from an ordinary rough patch.
Short questionnaires help professionals structure this screening. They do not replace the clinical interview, but they have one advantage: they ask questions people do not always dare to ask, including about suicidal thoughts. The HAS is clear on this point: talking about it does not increase the danger.
Sleep is one of the first indicators to go off track, and often the first reason people see a doctor: we detail what the check-up picks up on this topic on our page about sleep and health.
Mental health at 18–25, 45–50, 60–65 and 70–75: what changes?
Mental health is a cross-cutting topic of the prevention check-up, offered at all four key ages, but the risk situations and levers differ depending on the stage of life.
| Age group | Common situations | What the check-up looks for | Who to turn to first |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ages 18–25 | Studies, first job, financial insecurity, leaving home, breakups | Anxiety, depressed mood, isolation, substance use (alcohol, cannabis), eating disorders, dark thoughts | Regular doctor, student health service, psychologist through Mon soutien psy |
| Ages 45–50 | Work and family load (the “sandwich generation”), perimenopause, separation | Exhaustion, irritability, poor sleep, alcohol “to unwind,” loss of motivation | Regular doctor, occupational physician, psychologist |
| Ages 60–65 | Retirement, loss of professional network, illness of a loved one | Loss of meaning, emerging isolation, low mood masked by physical complaints | Regular doctor, psychologist, local associations and activities |
| Ages 70–75 | Widowhood, loss of independence, bereavements, caregiving role | Depression mistaken for aging, isolation, sleep problems, use of anti-anxiety drugs and sleeping pills | Regular doctor, geriatrician, medical-psychological center (CMP) |
Two age groups deserve particular attention. Among 18- to 25-year-olds, the rise in depressive episodes measured by Santé publique France is the most marked, and many do not yet have a regular doctor: the check-up also helps create that connection. Among 70- to 75-year-olds, depression is frequently mistaken for fatigue or normal decline, and isolation is both a cause and a consequence. The transition to retirement, covered in the prevention check-up at ages 60–65, is the right time to anticipate this question.
What is Mon soutien psy and how do you access it?
Mon soutien psy is the French National Health Insurance program that reimburses sessions with a participating psychologist, for anyone aged 3 and older experiencing mild to moderate psychological distress. It is available without a prescription: you can book directly with a participating psychologist, or go through your doctor or midwife.
| Mon soutien psy in 2026 | What French National Health Insurance provides |
|---|---|
| Who it is for | Anyone aged 3 and older experiencing mild to moderate emotional or psychological distress |
| Number of sessions | Up to 12 sessions per calendar year: 1 assessment session followed by up to 11 follow-up sessions |
| Fee | €50 per session, for both the assessment session and follow-up sessions |
| Coverage | 60% by French National Health Insurance, 40% by your supplementary health insurer (90% in total in the Alsace-Moselle region) |
| Access | Directly with a participating psychologist, or on referral from a doctor or midwife |
| Finding a psychologist | Directory of participating psychologists at monsoutienpsy.ameli.fr |
The program is not intended for severe or urgent situations, which call for your regular doctor, a psychiatrist or the emergency department. It is a first-line tool, suited to what the prevention check-up most often picks up: anxiety that is settling in, a mood that has been slipping for a few weeks, a difficult life event that is hard to get through alone.
Who to turn to depending on the situation?
Your regular doctor (médecin traitant) remains the linchpin: they assess, rule out a physical cause (thyroid, anemia, medication, chronic pain), offer follow-up and refer. Around them, several resources are available, often with no upfront payment.
| Situation | Resource | Access |
|---|---|---|
| Distress, anxiety, low mood for a few weeks | Mon soutien psy participating psychologist | Directly or via your regular doctor; 60% reimbursed by French National Health Insurance |
| Persistent symptoms, significant impact, question of treatment | Regular doctor, then a psychiatrist if needed | Standard consultation; psychiatrists can be seen without going through your regular doctor before age 26 |
| No regular doctor or no means to pay | Medical-psychological center (CMP) | Local public mental health service, no upfront payment, variable waiting times |
| Students | The institution’s student health service | Consultations and psychological support on campus |
| Work-related distress | Occupational physician | At the employee’s request, confidential with respect to the employer |
| Need to talk, day or night | 3114 (suicide prevention), nonprofit listening lines | Free, 24 hours a day |
The very purpose of the prevention check-up is to help you choose the right point of entry and to write this step into the Personalized Prevention Plan, with a deadline and a named contact, rather than leaving it for “later.”
What should you do in an emergency or if you have suicidal thoughts?
If you or someone close to you has suicidal thoughts, call 3114, France’s national suicide prevention line: free, confidential, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week since October 1, 2021, it is staffed by trained health professionals — nurses and psychologists under medical supervision — and is there for people in distress, their loved ones and professionals. In immediate danger, call 15 (SAMU, the French emergency medical service) or 112, or go to the emergency department.
A few pointers for family and friends: a sudden change in behavior, withdrawal, words of despair or farewell, putting one’s affairs in order, or increasing alcohol use are signals to take seriously. Asking the question directly — “Are you thinking about suicide?” — does not trigger the act; this is what the HAS points out and what our clinical experience confirms. Listening without judging, not leaving the person alone and helping them make the call are the three things that help.
Which habits protect mental health day to day?
The levers of prevention are the same as those of the prevention check-up in general, and that is no coincidence: they act on body and mind at the same time.
- Sleep: regular, sufficient sleep is the first mood stabilizer; persistent insomnia is both a symptom and an aggravating factor.
- Physical activity: walking, swimming or cycling several times a week has a measurable effect on anxiety and on mild to moderate depressed mood.
- Alcohol and cannabis: they bring relief for a few hours and then worsen anxiety, sleep and mood; the check-up lets you talk about them without moralizing.
- Social ties: seeing people, belonging to a group, having someone to call. Isolation is a risk factor at any age, and particularly after 70.
- Time for yourself and boundaries: at work and at home, knowing how to say no is part of prevention.
The prevention check-up does not try to change everything: it helps you choose one realistic lever and stick with it for a few weeks, with a follow-up appointment. That is the very principle of Mon bilan prévention, France’s national prevention check-up program, fully covered (100%) by French National Health Insurance, which you can prepare in advance with the prevention check-up self-assessment questionnaire.
Key takeaways
- In 2021, 12.5% of people aged 18 to 85 had a depressive episode during the year, and the sharpest increase was among 18- to 24-year-olds (Santé publique France).
- The prevention check-up picks up persistent warning signs — mood, sleep, anxiety, isolation, substance use, dark thoughts — without making a diagnosis, then refers you.
- Mon soutien psy reimburses up to 12 psychologist sessions a year, at €50 per session, available without a prescription.
- If you have suicidal thoughts: 3114, free, 24 hours a day; in immediate danger: 15 or 112.
- Sleep, physical activity, controlled alcohol use and social ties are the best-established levers of prevention.
What Sokrate lets you do
The Sokrate service lets you prepare your prevention check-up online: an adaptive questionnaire covering nine dimensions of health, including mental health, sleep and substance use, followed by a Personalized Prevention Plan written and signed by a doctor and sent to your regular doctor unless you object. A coordinating nurse provides follow-up and helps you find the right people to talk to. The check-up remains fully covered (100%) by French National Health Insurance when carried out by an authorized professional. To be notified when the service opens, join the waitlist.