At Caritas Zaragoza, they are seeing this reality translate into “continuously growing” demand for care. Ana Cristina Napoles, director of the organization’s Mental Health Care Project, explains that the cases they receive are closely linked to situations of vulnerability and personal trajectories shaped by social, economic and family problems.
One of the changes that concerns them most is age. “What has increased is the number of younger people and adolescents,” Napoles says. Alongside them, there are still people who have been exposed to difficult circumstances for years, including homeless people, single women with dependent children, migrants and older adults living alone.
WHEN PRECARIOUSNESS ALSO AFFECTS MENTAL HEALTH
In many of these cases, it is difficult to separate the social problem from the emotional one. Napoles describes a “bidirectional” relationship between exclusion and mental health. A person may lose support, employment or stability because of a psychological problem, but the reverse can also happen. “Experts call it a vicious cycle of exclusion,” she explains.
Persistent poverty eventually leaves its mark. “Living in precarious conditions generates prolonged emotional suffering,” she says. Housing insecurity, violence, isolation and difficulties meeting basic needs create stress factors that can persist for months or years and lead to “hopelessness and exhaustion with life.”
This daily wear and tear affects people with “broken lives,” difficult migration experiences, long periods of unemployment or situations of extreme poverty. These circumstances affect their ability to organize their day-to-day lives, look for work, maintain relationships or rebuild a personal project. And when all of this continues, recovery also becomes more complex.
LONELINESS, A FACTOR THAT WEIGHS ESPECIALLY HEAVILY ON OLDER PEOPLE
Loneliness is another major concern. “It is always a factor that can predispose someone to develop mental health problems,” Napoles says. Although it can occur at any age, its effects are especially visible among older people when combined with isolation, the loss of connections and a lack of daily contact.
The absence of relationships, affection or a sense of belonging to a group can contribute to symptoms of anxiety and depression. Napoles explains that some people end up in a pattern in which they interact less and less and become increasingly isolated. This social disconnection not only worsens their emotional state, but also makes it harder to ask for help and maintain a stable routine.
For this reason, Caritas insists that mental health cannot be addressed solely in a consultation. “Mental health problems do not have a single cause,” she recalls. Biological factors, trauma, loss, difficult family histories and stressful environments can all converge. Recovery requires different forms of support sustained over time.
MORE RESOURCES AND MORE DIFFICULTIES IN RURAL AREAS
When a person decides to seek help, another issue arises: the system’s ability to respond. “There needs to be greater response capacity and more specialized resources,” Napoles says. Although she acknowledges that professionals have been added in recent years, she believes demand continues to grow, especially for psychological care related to anxiety and depression.
In Aragon, geography also affects access. “We have a population that is very geographically dispersed,” she recalls. In some rural areas, reaching specialized services may require journeys that are not always easy. For Napoles, strengthening professional services and improving care outside the major cities remain among the main needs.
Even so, one change has taken place: mental health is discussed more today. “Concern about these problems increased after the pandemic, and they became more visible,” she says. Stigma has declined, although it can still delay requests for help. “People with any mental health problem can lead independent lives with the right support,” she concludes.
