It was at the end of January 2019 that the writer Neus Canyelles published her sixth book, The best vacation of my lifeAfter a hiatus of almost six years, the novel's protagonist is a writer named Neus who recounts her time in a mental health facility after attempting suicide. "She's a writer. She hasn't written anything for four years. She claims to have retired. She can't remember a good time since she was fourteen. She speaks of her life in a distracted way," says the report that the narrator reproduces in the book itself. Seven years later, in Canyelles's new book, a collection of short stories Waiting rooms Also published by Empúries, the psychiatrist's office becomes the setting for the reunion of two characters, two women who met as children and who have been scarred by the abuse one of them suffered at the hands of her schoolmates.

Primary care health centers in the Balearic Islands treated 29,938 people diagnosed with depression last year, a figure very similar to those of 2024 (30,479 patients) and 2023 (29,917 patients) – January 13th is World Depression Day. Emergency services treat more than 600 people a year for depression. In 2023, there were 507 hospital admissions due to this disorder, according to data published this Monday by the Balearic Ministry of Health. Depression is one of the leading mental illnesses and a cause of disability, affecting 300 million people worldwide. Between 8% and 15% of people will experience an episode of depression at some point in their lives, reported the EFE news agency. The latest Spanish Health Survey reflects the prevalence of severe depression in the Balearic Islands: 8.93% (approximately 112,000 people), while the national average is 8%. There are signs that help detect depression: loss of energy and fatigue, changes in hunger and sleep, social isolation, feelings of guilt and hopelessness, loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities, and thoughts of self-harm and suicide. The Balearic Islands Health Service (Salut) focuses its resources on both the treatment and management of the illness, as well as on prevention, early detection, and the promotion of emotional well-being.

The Balearic Islands Ministry of Health and the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB) have signed an agreement to manage a platform that will promote healthy lifestyle habits among young people over 16 years of age and will begin operating in 2026. The initiative was presented this Wednesday and will have a budget of €300,000. Initially, the management agreement will run until 2028 and will begin as a pilot program within the university community, before being expanded to the rest of the youth population. The platform will include podcasts, informational videos, infographics, and AI-powered chats that will guide users toward the most appropriate resources based on their needs. During the press conference, the Minister of Health, Manuela García, stated that this initiative is a "commitment to innovation," with a new way of connecting with young people and "adapting to their language."

"Respect starts with yourself. If you don't have it, you don't know how to respect. You can't always be above others; everyone should be able to do what they want. No one is more than the other." This is how Manuel (56 years old) talks about what he considers important for living together. A few months ago, he shared an apartment in Inca with Luis (40 years old)—a third person who did not participate in the report lives there. Access to this home was made possible thanks to the work of the Es Garrover Foundation, one of the organizations that forms part of 3 Salut Mental—along with Estel de Llevant and the Gira-Sol Association. Mental health disorders are no impediment for these two friends, who claim they have never had an argument, even though they shared a room for a year in supervised housing before living in this apartment.

The Riera building is hosting the 2nd Exchange Conference on Theatre and Literature for Social Transformation this Thursday. The aim is to highlight the links between research, literature, and theatre to address gender-based violence, trauma, emotional health, and ageism, and to foster the creation of emotional bonds and spaces for change. The UIB has brought together researchers and experts in literature, theatre, mental health, and social action for a day of analysis and debate on the transformative potential of writing and theatre, understood as tools for building more resilient, sensitive, and committed communities for social change. The research project Remlicat (Emotional Regimes of Contemporary Catalan Literature) and the group associated with the Institute for Research and Educational Innovation (IRIE), The Shape of Dreams, are the driving forces behind this initiative.

"People think you do it because you want to, that you drink five beers in a row because you like it. Because of that, it's gotten to the point where I hardly ever go to bars or attend social gatherings where alcohol is involved." This is the testimony of Joan, a 32-year-old who began consuming alcohol uncontrollably during his university years in Madrid. According to the experts consulted, his story sums up the feeling of incomprehension that many people with addictions have, an experience very similar to that of those who live with mental health problems. "You feel empathy for someone with Alzheimer's, but not for someone addicted to heroin," says Joan.

The Velódromo bar, managed by the Gira-Sol Association for the past five years, is closing this Tuesday because the current concession expires and the Regional Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and Sports "has not been able to issue a new tender, nor is it possible to extend the service concession," the organization explained in a statement on Instagram. For all these reasons, the Association is forced to close the establishment where vocational training courses were offered to create job opportunities for people with mental health problems, where services and food were offered, and where more than twenty employees worked.

The testimony of a person with Alzheimer's disease involves a paradox. For it to be trustworthy, it takes two. The person telling the story and the person caring for it nuance, correct, and complete it. Magui is 65 years old. Two years ago, her primary care doctor referred her to a neurologist. "She didn't tell me why I needed these tests, and I didn't ask for it either," she explains. Her mother suffered from "very severe" Alzheimer's disease just two years before dying from a fall. And she has learned that her great-grandmothers also suffered from the disease. "Even with this history, I couldn't even imagine that I could have it," she confesses. At the hospital, the specialist simply handed her a report while continuing to type. "I read: 'Alzheimer's diagnosis' and I couldn't stop crying. When I asked if I could ask him a question, he told me he had a lot of patients. They didn't even say goodbye to us," she recounts. Together with Magui, her husband (71 years old) makes pancakes and confirms this. Xavier is an observant man; he leaves sentences open-ended, demanding ellipses. He, and his intact memory, qualifies, corrects, and completes Magui's story.

Clara is on sick leave due to a situation of "systematic harassment." "I clicked. I exploded, and when I got to my GP's office, I couldn't stop crying. I was choking. I think I'd endured too much," she says. In addition to the stress of an "inhumane" way of working, she also suffered several bouts of grief due to miscarriages. "They gave me medication, and I honestly think I needed it," she admits. They put her on hold for an appointment with a social security psychologist. Help arrived months later. Her case exemplifies the shortage of public therapists: at the end of 2023, the Balearic Islands had 71 clinical psychologists, a ratio of just 5.9 professionals per 100,000 inhabitants. The figure is well below the European average (18 per 100,000 inhabitants) and doesn't even come close, for example, to that of Germany, where they have 41 per 100,000 inhabitants.

One of the moments I've felt most desperately vulnerable was during a relationship drama. And not just because of the drama itself—which was good to handle—but because a friend had found out about everything firsthand. It's not that I couldn't hide it from her, but I just couldn't tell her my way, omitting the details that made me most uncomfortable. I felt naked, unprotected, out in the open. How could it be that what made me feel most in danger about the whole situation was the fact that my friend knew what had happened?

The application of electroshock (electroconvulsive therapy) to the brain is a traditionally controversial procedure that is still used in the field of psychiatry, albeit in a controlled and limited manner. The film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, released in 1975, shows Randle McMurphy, played by Jack Nicholson, undergoing brutal therapy, with shocks that cause him to convulse violently while numerous people endure. All of this, while he is awake and fully aware of what is being done to him. The spectacular images remain in the imagination of an entire generation, who still remember the film when they hear about electroconvulsive therapy. However, it bears little resemblance to current reality. "It lasts for a minute, it's effective, and the patient doesn't realize it," says Joaquín López, a psychiatrist at Son Espases Hospital.

In 2024, 1,020 involuntary psychiatric admissions were recorded in the Balearic Islands, more than half of which (575) took place at Son Espases. Following behind were Son Llàtzer, with 190; Manacor Hospital, with 118; Inca Hospital, with 106; Mateu Orfila Hospital, with 19; and Can Misses, which had 12 such admissions. According to the health experts consulted, this figure has remained stable over the years. What has worsened is the severity of the problems. Most admissions are for psychosis. "Now there are many psychotic episodes because many people are using synthetic drugs. The severity of what we see has increased significantly. The inpatient units, the mental health units... are all full," says Carme Canet, the Psychiatric Nursing Supervisor at Son Llàtzer Hospital.

The 3 Mental Health entities (Estrella de Levante, Es Garrover Foundation, and Gira-Sol Association), the Grec (National Council of the Regions), and the regional government presented the new Shared Home Service this Thursday in Manacor. This new, subsidized service will provide housing and specialized support to 50 people with mental disorders. The goal is to guarantee this group access to a basic right and promote their autonomy and integration in all areas of society, with the help of professionals. This is all thanks to the agreement with the Ministry of Families, Social Welfare, and Dependency Care.

One in three minors regularly self-harm and 20% have suicidal thoughts, according to psychologist Gustavo Rodríguez during the presentation of his book. The mental health of children and adolescents, in which she warned of the "rapid and powerful deterioration" that this situation represents in today's society, especially after the pandemic. The book consists of three parts. The first addresses the main mental health problems currently affecting children and adolescents. The second provides the various causes that lead to them. Finally, the third part is dedicated to providing urgent resources to resolve them.

"When I was young, I couldn't stay in a nightclub for more than an hour. After that time, I had to leave because I was overwhelmed by all those stimuli," explains psychologist Anna Romeu, who specializes in the subject of high sensitivity and published the book I am sensitive (Rosa dels Vents), the first book published in Catalan about highly sensitive people, also known as HSPs. In the book, the psychologist shares all her clinical experience with dozens of patients over years of experience, but also adds her personal experience as a HSP, a personality trait that, she says, "affects between 20% and 30% of the population."