Alex Trelinski
MENTAL health issues have sky-rocketed in Spain since the Covid-19 pandemic with big rises noted among younger males.
Numbers of people saying they suffer from depression have tripled overall according to the Spanish Health Survey conducted every four years by the National Institute of Statistics(INE).
The figures appear to confirm what medics have been saying for the last three years based on talking to their patients.
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There has been a major uptick in mental health problems triggered by the pandemic which brought lock-downs along with school and workplace closures.
It also mirrors the experience of other countries.
The INE data covers the period between 2019 and 2023 and shows nearly 15% of people had a serious mental health issue in the fortnight prior to submitting answers to the INE questionnaire.
Over half that number described themselves as having a ‘severe depressive condition’.
Compared to 2019, overall figures have tripled and by almost half since 2014.
The most concerning numbers come among the elderly and the young, according to the INE.
The biggest category for depression sufferers is among those aged 65 reaching 19.5% and going up to 37% to people aged 85 and over.
Intermediate ages of 25 to 64 years come in at 14%, but then there’s an increase compared to 2019’s report over boys and young men aged between 15 and 24 years.
‘Moderate’ instances of depression have tripled in that age band from 1.3% to 4.5% while severe cases rose six-fold from 1% to 5.9% in just four years.
There is also a gender gap with over 10% more females(35.1%) reporting depression compared to men(24.1%).
Other findings of Spanish Health Study has shown a reduction in alcohol and tobacco consumption.
The quality of food eaten has improved and it appears the Covid pandemic raised awareness among the elderly to get a flu vaccine each year.
The vaccination rate in the 65 years and above group stood at 67% in 2023- up 12.5% on 2019.
