"I felt very different from everyone else. I felt weak at school and developed anxiety and a lot of sadness," explains Mireia, now 23, who recalls managing anxiety and depression during adolescence. "I stayed in class, didn't go out to the playground, arrived late, and didn't feel like talking to my friends. Everything seemed normal, but internally I was unwell and I became isolated," she says about the anxiety attacks that appeared when she was fourteen and which she couldn't verbalize until she was sixteen. Although anxiety and depression are socially associated with adulthood, this reality also exists among children: it is estimated that between 10% and 20% of children and adolescents may have an anxiety disorder, according to the [unclear - possibly "warning" or "warning"]. Itersia Psychotherapy Center.

Sex, age, and postal code also influence how distress is managed or how the many problems of daily life are faced. In Barcelona, ​​being a woman, young, and living in districts with lower average income predisposes one to suffer more anxiety, according to the report on the health of Barcelona residents published annually by the City Council. This year, primary care has identified 29,482 new cases of anxiety compared to the previous year, two-thirds of which (18,854) were diagnosed in women. The difference between men and women in this regard is very significant: while 578 men per 100,000 inhabitants suffer from anxiety considered problematic, the rate for women rises to 953. That is, it is practically double. Both men and women feel more overwhelmed and react with greater anxiety when they are young, but place of residence is a differentiating factor, although it should be interpreted differently by sex.

After several years marked by the pandemic, which exacerbated emotional distress and triggered mental health disorders in many Catalans, the Catalan Health Survey (ESCA), with data from 2024, confirms a decrease in this problem. While in 2022, 11% of the population over 15 years of age reported having symptoms consistent with depression or experiencing intense emotional distress, this percentage has now been halved (5.8%). For the first time, the ESCA has specifically measured anxiety, revealing that 7.5% of the adult population reports experiencing moderate or severe symptoms. This physical response is more common in women than in men. Regarding the prevalence of moderate or severe depression, the report indicates a significant decrease compared to 2022, falling from approximately 11% of the adult population to 5.8%. The latest ESCA report indicates a significant improvement in emotional well-being, with the population's mental health trending positively. Furthermore, the report reflects that more adults feel they have a supportive environment to rely on during difficult times. However, disparities across genders, ages, and socioeconomic conditions serve as a reminder that there is still progress to be made. According to this report, only one in ten adults experiences low emotional well-being. Broken down by gender, 6.9% of men and 13.1% of women report experiencing psychological distress, which arises in response to difficult, intense, or unpleasant emotions that they struggle to manage. These figures represent an improvement compared to the 2022 ESCA report, when nearly one in three women (27.4%) and one in five men (20.4%) reported emotional distress. However, people aged 74 and over, especially women, as well as those from less privileged social classes and with or without primary education, continue to show lower levels of well-being.

The Barcelona-born journalist Glòria Serra, known for the program Research team (La Sexta), he explained on the RAC1 podcast No filters the mental health problem that led her to seek professional help when she was 23. In a conversation with journalist Marta Cailà, the panelist ofThe world on RAC1 She detailed what it's like to live with agoraphobia. "I felt that crossing the street put me in very high danger, as if someone had told me to jump off a building," she recalls. Serra asserts that one of the most difficult aspects of mental health problems is the lack of understanding from those around them and even from the person affected. "It was obvious that I could cross the street. It was absurd," she admits. This lack of empathy meant that the journalist didn't tell almost anyone. "People don't understand. My mother's face when I told her was terrible. I didn't know how to tell her; I only knew that it was true that I couldn't cross the street," she says.

A few days ago, a professional named Anna shared a recent experience on LinkedIn. She wanted to share it because it had had a profound impact on her. A close person, who loved her, made her think deeply. Anna is going through a difficult personal process, but it's "human, normal, and everyday," in her words. The person close to her asked her to see her doctor for a treatment prescription. "Treatment?" Anna asked. "Yes, for depression or anxiety or whatever it is you have." And her response was clear and direct. "I don't suffer from depression or anxiety. I experience sadness at times because of the mourning I'm experiencing, for what is no longer, and never will be." She then recounted how surprised she was to have to manage any emotion she simply had to live with and let go with drug treatment, a pill. She concluded that this is an increasingly common mistake in a society where it's easier to numb the symptom than to address the source.