2024-10-10 10:13:00
According to a survey by the consultancy firm Ipsos in 2023, mental health is the health problem that worries the world’s population most, with an average of 44%. This perception has begun to spread especially since the Covid-19 pandemic, and is supported by increasing data in the incidence of disorders such as anxiety and depression or in the suicide rate. Are there objective causes that explain this apparent widespread decline in mental health? Or are previously invisible problems simply coming to light? We asked seven renowned experts.
We are immersed in a society that seems designed to break us: stress suffocates us, digital loneliness consumes us, and the pressure to be perfect crushes us. Previously these sufferings were experienced in silence, invisible and suffocating. Today we have torn away that veil and what we have discovered is overwhelming. It’s not that we are more fragile now, it’s that we finally dare to give a name to the pain that has always been there.
Mental health is at the center of the storm. The question is not whether we are conscious, but whether we will be able to transform that consciousness into action. Can we build a society that stops feeding on suffering and, instead, cultivates care, empathy and emotional well-being?
This question has a difficult answer. Today’s society faces challenges that scare our brains. The constant demands that push us to connect, be productive and expose our lives generate an imbalance with our resources, which gives rise to a stress response, chronic in most cases. And numerous studies have shown that a prolonged stress response can lead to anxiety disorders and depression. With this approach, we would say that the pace supported by current society works in favor of mental illness.
The other side of the coin lies in information. It is not only the pace of life that brings us closer to this discrepancy between our resources and the demands of the environment, but we have immediate and reliable information about the symptoms of virtually all mental illnesses. Even celebrities talk openly about their diagnosis. An important pillar of the taboo that mental illness assumed decades ago has therefore been demolished.
Overall, if I had to answer with a closed answer, from my training in neuroscience I believe that today’s human being – at least his brain – has not evolved enough as the society around him has, and that the increase in Mental disorders are a side effect of this.
Adolfo J. Cangas: Professor of Psychology at the University of Almería
The question can be understood as two perspectives of the same phenomenon. On the one hand, starting from the conceptualization, developed by the sociologist Zygmunt Bauman, of the “liquid society” in which we live, it is possible to observe how interpersonal relationships are increasingly characterized by their superficiality and by a growing emphasis on obtaining material and social recognition.
This dynamic, in a precarious and socially complex working environment like the current one, tends to generate a high dose of frustration and desperation, which contributes to the appearance of various mental health problems. We see a clear example in social networks, where it is possible to be in contact with hundreds of people, be distressed by the number of “likes” we receive and, yet, have no or few significant relationships. These facts contribute to a notable increase in problems such as unwanted loneliness, stress or frustration, factors clearly associated with the increase in mental health problems.
On the other hand, there has been growing social awareness about the importance of psychological well-being in our lives. This awareness has taken root especially among younger people, who recognize that common mental health problems, such as depression or anxiety disorders, can affect anyone. However, this same openness does not extend to serious disorders, such as schizophrenia, which continue to be highly stigmatized and surrounded by misinformation, which perpetuates attitudes of rejection and discrimination towards those who suffer from it.
Joaquín Mateu Mollá: Doctor of Clinical Psychology. Director of the Master in Gerontology and Person Centered Care at the International University of Valencia
From my point of view they are not two exclusive options. I believe we know more and more about mental disorders, why they appear and how they express themselves, which allows us to identify them more precisely and articulate more effective interventions. However, I also recognize that the society we live in faces great adaptation challenges that concern important dimensions such as the use of technologies, working life, family projects or academic training. It is not always easy to give a quick and effective response to these challenges. The difficulty in building an independent life, extremely complex access to housing, job insecurity, uncertainty about the future or obstacles to building a family grip a large part of the population. the population. And they can pave the way for despair, anxiety or mood disorders.
Alfonso Arteaga Olleta. Doctor of Psychology. Researcher and professor at the Department of Health Sciences of the Public University of Navarra
Some characteristics of the current moment contribute to people experiencing higher levels of anxiety, depression, stress, insomnia or suicidal behavior, among other mental health problems. A society that idealizes the concept of happiness by associating it with immediate success, which promotes individualism and does not educate tolerance of frustration and autonomy from childhood is fertile ground for promoting them.
However, alarmism must be avoided. As with other issues that concern us (machismo, violence, addictive behaviors, etc.), when we focus on them they become more visible, suggesting a sudden and alarming increase. The numbers are increasing, but largely due to the fact that by investigating them people feel freer to identify them and/or ask for help, which is very positive.
Carmen Rodríguez Blázquez and Maria João Forjaz. Researchers from the National Center of Epidemiology of the Carlos III Health Institute
On World Mental Health Day we cannot forget the elderly group. We have scientific evidence that mental health in this sector of the population has become a public health challenge in recent years. In Spain, in fact, people over the age of 75 have the highest suicide rates, as well as the consumption of psychotropic drugs.
The causes of mental illness are multifactorial, so in addition to chronic diseases and disabilities that can occur with aging, there is also exposure to personal, family and social risk factors. All of this exposes older people to the risk of unwanted loneliness, inequality and age discrimination.
A call for a healthcare, citizen and institutional response is therefore necessary to transform the mental health of the elderly into a public health priority.
Article published on La Conversazione.
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