Spain is the European country with the most children and adolescents with mental health problems
Spain is the European country with the most children and adolescents with mental health problems
This is one of the alarming data that is extracted from the Unicef report: "The World State of Children: In My Mind". This study reveals the seriousness of the situation with figures like these: 20.8% of Spanish adolescents between the ages of 10 and 19 suffer from some type of mental problem.
Here are some interesting facts:
- The pediatrician and writer Lucía Mi Pediatra affirms that "75% of mental illnesses and disorders appear in childhood and adolescence."
- Spain has 11 psychiatrists for every 100,000 inhabitants; far from the 27 that other European countries like Germany have.
The Anar Foundation , one of the reference organizations for the help of children and adolescents at risk, cares for and supports minors with support lines (telephone and chat) to help in real time with their problems and concerns. These lines are open 24 hours a day because "a listened to child is a safe child."
The data provided by this foundation in relation to the consequences of the pandemic for minors are not encouraging either:
- 145% more calls from minors with suicidal ideas or attempts.
- 180% more self-harm compared to the two years prior to the pandemic.
Mental disorders in minors are described as changes in their way of relating, behaving and handling emotions. This causes them anguish and the impossibility of being able to carry out daily activities normally. When the symptoms are so serious that they prevent the boy or girl from being able to carry out activities at home and at school correctly, it is most likely that he or she will be diagnosed with a mental illness.
The importance of the close environment to avoid mental health problems in minors
In this context, the close environment of the minor is key to preventing these problems from growing and becoming more serious issues. Parents, mothers, and guardians must be able to identify the symptoms that may be the germ of a mental illness.
On many occasions it is not easy to detect the symptoms since they are often considered to be transient or normal and easily go unnoticed. It is extremely important to remain alert to detect any anomaly and not "lose" valuable time in detecting and treating possible diseases.
How to achieve this?
1. Maintaining good communication with the minor. Only if there is trust and fluid communication can possible symptoms be detected quickly and on time.
2. Observe. The dizzying pace of everyday life often makes us overlook warning signs. You have to stop to look beyond routine actions.
3. Spend quality family time. We go back to before. In today's society, social commitments, work, school and extracurricular activities do not allow us to focus on what is really important: spending quality time with the family.
No need to wait for the summer holidays; Any time is a good time to escape to nature, for example, and get away from the noise and daily obligations. It will be then, in an ideal setting and without distractions, when communication will flow more.
El Jou Nature is a perfect proposal for this: a hotel created especially for family leisure and perfect for recovering that "lost" time in a privileged environment. Thanks to the experiences that can be lived in it, it will be possible to share quality moments with the children of the house , which will undoubtedly help to sanitize the mental health of all family members.
In addition, these types of experiences serve as a resource and positive anchor to rely on those good memories at times when complicated situations destabilize us.
