Spain is second in Europe in terms of concerns about mental health
Worries about emotional well-being have tripled in just seven years and are now the biggest health issue for most Spaniards
Mental health concerns have been at the centre of the debate when it comes to the main health concerns of Spaniards. The combination of increasing visibility of the high incidence of emotional disorders, the great psychological impact caused by the pandemic and the pressure exerted by accelerated social change on the well-being of people has had a clear effect. According to an Ipsos poll, two out of three people in Spain consider mental health to be the number one health issue. Ipsos has compared the results of the poll in Spain to those of 29 other countries across the globe.
The study shows that 62% of Spaniards place personal concern about their mental health well ahead of other very serious health problems such as cancer, stress, obesity or smoking, which are the other four most common concerns in Spain.
What is striking is that, on a global level, Spain is 17% above the average for the rest of the countries in terms of emotional well-being concerns. In addition, Spain is second in Europe, just 1% behind Sweden. Almost four out of ten people who have taken part in the poll have said that they have suffered episodes of prolonged depression one or more times in the last year.
Not everyone is equally concerned, however. Among Spaniards, women are 13% more concerned than men and those in the 18-30 age group are also above the average. Both groups say that they think about the prevalence of mental health issues very often.
Stress is the third biggest health concern; in the last year, it has affected the daily lives of two out of three people
Concern about emotional well-being among Spaniards has skyrocketed in a very short time (the last five years) and the social upheaval unleashed by the pandemic has been a clear accelerator of public awareness. The perception of the huge problem it represents has doubled in just seven years. In 2018, only 23% of Spaniards considered it to be the main health problem, while the figure has now grown to 62%.
The third major health concern for people in Spain is stress, which often amplifies emotional discomfort. Just over a third of Spaniards (36%) consider it one of their main preoccupations, making Spain the third European country where stress is perceived as the most worrying disorder, behind France (38%) and the tie between Poland and Italy (37%). Since 2018, reports on stress concerns have grown by 11% in Spain.
An everyday problem
Some 61% of Spaniards indicate that they have felt so stressed in the past year that the disorder has had a direct and palpable impact on their daily lives. For half of them, stress reached such a level that they were unable to cope with their daily duties and activities. The most affected groups were, again, women and young adults.
Despite growing statistics, almost half of the people did nothing to find a solution or seek help. There is a tendency to turn to friends and family instead of seeking the help of a professional. Once again, women and young people are those who go to a mental health specialist in greater numbers. These are also the two groups that are more prone to accepting medication as means of support in their healing.
