Oriol Mitjà (Arenys de Munt, 1980) is one of the country's best-known researchers. He played a prominent role during the COVID-19 pandemic, is one of the leading voices in infectious diseases—especially those related to poverty—works as head of section at the Germans Trias i Pujol Hospital, and has received numerous awards and recognitions for his scientific work. After publishing With an open heart. A story of everything I've lived through. in 2021 and The world that awaits us In 2022, the infectious disease specialist published Where light is born, where she addresses depression from her personal experience.

"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.

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.

"Living stuck in a tunnel, long and with no way out." Marce is one of the six witnesses who lend their voices and faces to the documentary. Anhedonia: Inside Depression, which premieres this Monday at the Aribau cinemas in Barcelona (with tickets sold out) and will be broadcast on Saturday night, October 11th at 33rd, coinciding with Mental Health Week. For an hour, Marce and six other patients explain what it's like to live with a fairly unknown, often misunderstood and trivialized illness, and reflect on their future. The title of the film refers to the medical term that describes the inability to experience pleasure or interest in activities that had been considered gratifying. As happened to Joel, a "nice and cheerful" teenager, in his own words, who at age 11 began to feel that He didn't like his image in the mirror. "Things are not as they always seem," emphasizes this young man, who today says he can see the end of the tunnel to the point that he will no longer need to take even the small amount of medication that helps him stay stable. "It's not cool to depend on a pill to be happy," he points out.

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.