Scientific evidence shows that social stress, as well as unwanted loneliness or the misuse of technology, encourage the appearance of mental illnesses such as Major Depression. Therefore, it is necessary to understand that mental health care is a collective responsibility rooted in rights, dignity and social inclusion.
In order to highlight this reality, the Mental Health Service of Parc Taulí today held the ninth edition of the "Let's Do Mental Health" conference, together with the Sabadell City Council and the primary care service of the ICS Vallès Occidental. This is a session in which professionals from the Parc Taulí Healthcare Corporation Consortium (CCSPT) and other specialists from the social and health sector presented actions that are being carried out to mitigate the problems rooted in mental health.
The day, which took place in the Vapor Llonch Auditorium in Sabadell, began with an institutional welcome by Mr. Antoni Rodríguez, councilor for Economic Development, Employment Support and Business Promotion of Sabadell City Council, Ms. Dolors Costa, president of the CCSPT, Ms. Sílvia García, councilor for Health and Pest Management of Sabadell City Council, and Mr. Josep Maria Bonet, healthcare director of the Primary Care Management of the community of Vallès Occidental and Vallès Oriental.
Next, Dr. Rebeca Gracia, psychiatrist from the Child and Youth Mental Health Service of the CCSPT, moderated the first panel discussion focused on the risk factors linked to the appearance of mental health pathologies and how we can prevent them.
In this round table, Laura Comendador, psychologist at CAP Can Rull, presented programs to address unwanted loneliness in the elderly, Santiago Bertomeu, social educator of the Parc Taulí guidance team, explained how to address the misuse of screens in adolescence and Dr. Virginia Soria, psychiatrist and head of the Adult Mental Health Service, explained the risk factors involved in the development of major disorders. “Physical, emotional or sexual abuse and neglect during childhood, intimate partner violence and food insecurity are associated with a greater risk of suffering from Major Depressive Disorder”, confirmed Dr. Soria. "In addition, some social factors, such as lack of housing or migration, are associated with a significantly higher prevalence of depression..
Then, Lídia Palau, manager of Primary Care of the Northern Metropolitan Health Region, moderated the panel on the complex chronic patient with a mental health disorder. In this block, Deyanira Bártulos, social worker at the CCSPT, explained the role of social fragility as a decisive risk factor in complex patients, and Francisco Fernández, member of the Sabadell Nord psychopedagogical advice and guidance team, presented the shared individualized prevention plan to care for these patients.
Likewise, Núria Reina, a child and youth mental health psychologist, explained the sociocultural factors involved in the prognosis of autism and Cristina Martínez, a clinical psychologist at the adult mental health center, presented the role of clinical psychology in addressing complexity. “It is necessary to keep in mind the subjective experience of each person and, therefore, of their environment to provide the patient with tools so that they can adopt a lifestyle that meets their needs”, he has stated.
Then, Maria Pilar Martínez, psychologist at Sabadell City Council, opened the panel discussion focused on social rights and the importance of guaranteeing them, whatever the psychosocial situation of the user. On the one hand, Dr. Claudi Camps, psychiatrist at the IAS of Girona, presented inclusion programs focused on housing as a support tool. On the other hand, Ana León, technician at the MAIN Foundation, presented the “OCELL” program in which they guarantee support for young people with emotional suffering.
In addition, Anna Monterde, head of guidance and employment intermediation at Sabadell City Council, presented the project “Tens la Paraula”, focused on the hiring of people in mental health treatment, and Margarita Esplugas, president of the Sabadell Mental Health Association, the pre-employment advice project to facilitate professional integration.
Finally, Dr. Diego Palao, psychiatrist and director of the Mental Health Service at Parc Taulí, and psychologist Enric Segura presented the digital self-screening and prevention platform for mental health pathologies called “LaMevaSalutMental”. This is one of the transformative projects funded by the Catalan Health System that aims to offer a space where users can rule out or detect symptoms of mental disorder they may have.
Finally, Dr. Gemma Craywinckel, general director of Parc Taulí, concluded the day by highlighting that “It is important to talk about mental health daily and, therefore, it is necessary to promote every social and health initiative that works to contribute to the fight against stigma and taboos”.
World Mental Health Day
The session "Let's Do Mental Health" is part of the commemoration of World Mental Health Day, and aims to raise awareness in society about mental disorders and fight against the stigmatization suffered by affected people.
In fact, within the framework of this world day, the Auditorium of Parc Taulí has hosted the third edition of the "Mental Health and Cooperation" conference, an event that this year has focused on the impact of climate change on communities, especially those that have to leave their homes, and how this displacement has a direct impact on mental health.
