A total of 70 clinical psychologists from the Balearic Health Service have filed a formal complaint against the Ministry of Health for the Hiring professionals without a psychology specialization A mental health clinic has been established in several primary care centers in the Balearic Islands. The group is demanding the annulment of these appointments and insisting that the positions be filled exclusively by specialists. The professionals, represented by lawyer Pablo Alonso de Caso, consider these contracts null and void and contrary to current regulations. According to the complaint filed on January 13, 2026, the Health Service has hired 16 psychologists without clinical specialization in the last year. Specifically, these appointments have occurred in nine primary care centers in Mallorca—including those in Arquitecto Bennàssar, Son Cladera, Portocristo, and Son Servera—, in Menorca—Canal Salat, Virgen del Toro, Dalt Sant Joan, and Es Banyer—, and in four facilities in Misas. Trained Specialists

Clinical psychologists argue that state legislation clearly establishes that only professionals specializing in clinical psychology can provide the services included in the National Health System's portfolio. In this regard, they cite Royal Decree 2490/1998, the General Law on Public Health, and the Law on the Regulation of Health Professions, which reserve these functions for specialists trained through the residency system. The complaint emphasizes that general health psychologists have limited competencies and cannot assume diagnostic, treatment, and intervention tasks specific to clinical psychology within the public sector. According to the group, hiring professionals without this specialization not only violates legal procedures but can also compromise the quality and guarantees of the psychological care patients receive.

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The Government presented the Strategic Plan for Emotional Well-being and Mental Health this Thursday, aiming to address the significant increase in mental health conditions, giving greater importance to Primary Care and moving toward more local, community-based, and inclusive care. The President of the Government, Marga Prohens, accompanied by the Regional Minister of Health, Manuela Garcia; the Regional Minister of Education, Antoni Vera; the Regional Minister of Families, Social Welfare, and Dependency Care, Sandra Fernández; the Director General of Mental Health, Carme Bosch; and the Director of Early Childhood, Diversity Care, and Educational Improvement, Neus Riera, presented the plan to organizations working in the field of mental health in the Balearic Islands. One of the objectives is for all health centers in the Balearic Islands to have a psychologist by October 2026.

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Families in the Balearic Islands have given the educational psychologist service launched during the 2024-2025 academic year a 4.2 out of 5 rating. In 76.19% of the cases in which they have worked, an improvement has been seen. The main reasons for consultations have been anxiety, family problems, and relationship difficulties. In a statement, the Ministry of Education and Universities explained that the general health psychologists, coordinated by Convivèxit, have carried out intensive work during the past academic year. Thus, 5,851 individual interventions were carried out; 3,519 with students; and 814 with families. The average age of care was 14 years, with the highest incidence in the second year of compulsory secondary education.

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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.

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We've all heard it before: a poison rises in your gut, your pulse quickens, your jaw tightens, and it feels as if you're about to explode like a pressure cooker. Since time immemorial, humans have strived to find ways—more or less successful—to channel anger: counting to ten before speaking, punching a pillow, yelling into the wind (or at the unfortunate person in front of us)... But, according to a study published in the journal Nature, the solution could be found in a practice as simple as it is ancient: write the thought that has angered us on a piece of paper, tear it up and throw it away.

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