The figures have prompted the Professional College of Psychology of Aragon (COPPA) to call for a greater presence of psychologists in healthcare, education and social services. The organization has taken advantage of the approaching World Mental Health Day, observed this Saturday, October 10, coinciding with the start of the Fiestas del Pilar, to call for prevention efforts to go beyond simply having protocols in place.
Of the cases recorded during the last school year, 735 involved female students and 377 male students. COPPA has stressed that schools are particularly well placed to identify changes in behavior or situations of emotional distress, but said that detection must be accompanied by sufficient resources to intervene. “Identifying a problem is essential, but it must then be possible to address it. We cannot wait for distress to become a crisis before offering psychological support,” said its president, Santiago Boira.
122 SUICIDE DEATHS IN ARAGON IN 2025
Provisional mortality figures have also highlighted the scale of the problem. In 2025, 122 suicide deaths were recorded in Aragon—79 men and 43 women—amounting to practically one every three days. Fifteen of those who died were between 15 and 29 years old, an age group in which suicide has become the leading cause of death.
The College has therefore insisted on extending prevention beyond specialized mental health services. “Psychology must also be present where people’s lives unfold: in schools, primary care, social services and every setting where we can identify a difficulty in time,” Boira said.
The problem has not been limited to young people either. According to the latest Spanish Health Survey, 10.5% of the Aragonese population aged 15 and over experienced a depressive episode during the two weeks preceding the interview, while 5.6% suffered a severe depressive episode. For COPPA, these figures reinforce the need to integrate psychological health across public policies.
THE FIESTAS DEL PILAR AND SOCIAL PRESSURE AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE
The coincidence of World Mental Health Day with the start of the Fiestas del Pilar has led the College this year to focus also on how teenagers and young people experience days marked by concerts, peñas, gatherings with friends and nights out. COPPA has warned that this social intensity can also increase comparison with others, loneliness, fear of missing out or the pressure to have fun.
It has therefore encouraged families and young people themselves to talk about how they feel and to pay attention to possible changes in behavior. “We want our young people to enjoy the festivities, but also to know that they are under no obligation to feel good all the time, do what everyone else is doing or hide that something is not right,” Boira said.
The message revived the spirit of “Live Your Pilares,” the campaign the College launched last year to remind people that there is no single way to experience the festivities. “Asking for help should not be a last resort; it should be a normal and accessible option from the very beginning,” the COPPA president concluded.
