The report ‘The situation of mental health in Spain’, prepared by the Confederation of Mental Health Spain and Fundación Mutua Madrileña, has presented its conclusions.
The study was carried out in 2022 with the participation of more than 2,000 people, both from the general population and those who have or have had mental health problems, as well as health professionals.
The emotional state of the population
One of the conclusions is that 74.7% of the population in Spain believes that in recent years the mental health of Spaniards has worsened. The 3 most indicated reasons are: economic difficulties (91.4%), uncertainty about the future (89.0%) and the pressure, demands and stress of day-to-day life (88.8%), followed by the pandemic and the feeling that we live in an increasingly individualistic and highly competitive society.
Thus, more than a year after the end of the pandemic, almost 6 out of 10 Spaniards (57%) feel worried, fearful, depressed or sad.
According to the report, 4 out of 10 people in Spain (42.1%) have suffered from depression throughout their lives; a somewhat higher percentage, 47.6%, have experienced anxiety or panic attacks and 36.9%, prolonged anxiety over time.
14.5 % of the population have had suicidal ideas or have attempted suicide. This occurs to a greater extent among women (17%) than among men (11.7%). The same happens in the case of those who have come to harm themselves (6.4% of men compared to 11.3% of women). By age, suicidal ideas or attempts (31.8%) and self-harm (30.7%) occur to a greater degree in the group of young people between 18 and 24 years of age.
The report also reflects that 18.9% of the population over the age of 18 consume psychotropic drugs and 73% of them do so daily. The most used are anxiolytics (61.9%) and antidepressants (47.2%). The Primary Care physician is the one who most commonly prescribes them (55.1%), followed by the psychiatrist (35.2%).
Regarding medical care, 26.2% of people currently go to a mental health specialist (20.8% to a Psychology consultation and 17.6% to a Psychiatry consultation). It should be explained that the sum of these last two percentages exceeds the initial 26.2%, given that in the report it was a multiple-choice question and some people surveyed receive care from both specialties.
Most vulnerable groups
61.3% of people who have suffered mental health problems are women, compared to 38.3% of men. In addition to women, young people belonging to the age group between 18 and 34 years are the ones who assess their mental health most negatively: only 30.8% consider that their mental health is good or very good. Likewise, as previously mentioned, they double the rate of suicidal ideation or attempt (31.8%) of the general population (14.5%).
More health and social measures
1 in 5 people diagnosed with a mental health problem have been admitted to a psychiatric area. Of these, 60.1% of people with a mental health problem claim to have been admitted to a hospital involuntarily, 40.3% say they received little or no clear, sufficient and understandable information about their disorder, 46.3% state that they received little or no sufficient information about the side effects of the medication and 48.1% state that they received little or no information about all alternative treatments.
The general population considers that not enough resources are allocated to mental health care and advocates both health and social measures to help people with a mental health problem.
024: Hotline for suicidal behaviour
024 is a short-code telephone number to assist anybody with suicidal thoughts or tendencies.
It is a FREE and confidential service, and is also available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Its recipients are both people with suicidal behaviour or ideation, as well as their relatives. Although the operators may not speak other languages, there is a translation facility built in, so it is accessible to all.
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