Growing awareness of mental health in Basque society
In recent years there has been an increase in the number of people in the CSC who report suffering from some form of psychological distress and need help, from 13% in 2018 to 22.4% in 2023. Not so long ago, these ailments were hidden, now we are beginning to publicly acknowledge them and even seek a solution.
Mental health has become one of the greatest concerns of Basque society in the last decade. The Covid-19 pandemic acted as a turning point and, today, awarenessof the importance of this issue is greater: less is hidden, more is talked about and solutions are sought.
Thelatest report by EITB Data analyses the prevalence of mental health, the type of person most affected, the evolution of demand for professional help and the most serious manifestation of the disease, suicide.
One of the main keys to the report is that in the last year, the population reporting symptoms of anxiety and depression has increased - from 13% in 2018 to 22.1% in 2023.
Women and those over 75 years of age are the most affected.
However, psychological suffering does not affect all areas of society in the same way. Indicators indicate that the increase in symptoms is distributed differently according to sex, age and employment situation.
On the one hand, the gender gap persists over the years: the percentage of women who confess to having symptoms (26.5 per cent) is higher than that of men (17.7 per cent).
On the other hand, age is also a factor to be taken into account, affecting more people in the highest age brackets, with more than half of the population over 75 (57.1%) reporting symptoms.
However, in recent years, young people have suffered the greatest deterioration in their mental health, with a prevalence of 15.8 per cent before the pandemic and 39.4 per cent in 2023.
Increase in demand for professional care
With the increase in awareness and the expression of symptoms, the number of people seeking solutions and professional help has also increased. The EITB Data study reveals that thepercentage of people attending a psychiatric consultation has doubled in five years.
The most extreme manifestation of mental health deterioration is suicidal behavior . In this case, two very different profiles have been detected: young women (15-24 years) report having the most suicidal thoughts (15%), while men over 65 have the highest suicide rate.
Thus, EITB Data data shows that mental health has gained visibilityand is no longer a hidden subject, although it does not affect the whole of society alike.
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