THE Spanish Association of Pediatrics (AEP) alerted of the situation of “absolute emergency“in which the mental health of children and adolescents in the country is due to the increase in disorders recorded in recent years, particularly after the arrival of Covid-19.
“If before the pandemic the situation was already complicated, since about 10 percent of children and 20 percent of adolescents suffered from some type of mental disorder, the current scenario is one of absolute emergency, since this figure has since risen to 47 percent,” said the coordinator of the Mental Health Committee of the Spanish Association of pediatrics, Paula Armero, during a press conference held in Madrid this Thursday.
Thus, the AEP ensures that the figures of mental illness Among this sector of the population they have continued to grow in recent years and highlight that 95 percent of pediatricians have detected it during their consultations, according to an analysis published in Anales de Pediatría.
Furthermore, Armero pointed out that these problems that occur in young people and adolescents result in “symptoms of depression, mood disorders, eating behavior, self-harm, anxiety and behavioral changes“. As well as “the disorders derived from conflicting separations between parents”, he added.
However, what worries experts the most at the moment are cases of bullying at school and on social media. “Where minors spend the most time is in schools and institutes. If this environment is not safe, This greatly affects how they develop into adulthood.” explained Armero, while reminding that “minors must be treated with respect by their own peers.”
For his part, the president of the Society of Child Psychiatry (SPI), Pedro J. Rodriguezshowed its concern about cases related to harassment through social networks. “Excessive use of screens has meant that a significant part of adolescents’ socialization takes place through social networks, which have replaced other types of social relationships. This feeling of impunity generated by being behind a screen has led to a tripling of cases of harassment through social networks. networks,” he said.
“Every day we have more evidence that screens and networks are not being used appropriately, but rather being abused,” Armero added.
MANFIESTO TO IMPROVE THE SITUATION
For all this, and under the motto “Pediatrics and mental health: building a healthy future”, theThe 13,000 pediatricians who make up the AEP They wanted to call for action regarding the mental health situation of children and adolescents.
Thus, on the occasion of Pediatrics Daywhich is celebrated on October 8, have prepared a manifesto addressed to health, educational and social authorities and institutions in which proposals are made to face this crisis and stop the increase in cases during the first stages of life.
In the manifesto, the AEP warns of the increase in these disorderswho considers this to be an emergency in professional consultations. To achieve this, they believe it is necessary to implement mental health prevention programs from the first levels of care.
They also believe that there is a lack of professionals specialized in mental health. “It is difficult to say the precise number of professionals needed in the specialty, but we estimate that there will be 20 percent more throughout Spain,” Rodríguez said.
In this sense, the vice-president of AEP Primary CareGuillermo Martín lamented that “patients, at least in Madrid, can have waiting lists of 6 to 9 months to be treated for the first time.”
Likewise, the manifesto calls for multidisciplinary attention; act in time in the face of the increasing severity of cases and underlines the importance of the role of families in the mental health of children.
RECOGNITION OF PEDIATRIC SPECIALTIES
The last point of the manifesto concerns the recognition of pediatric specialties. At this stage, the AEP emphasizes that the recognition of Child and adolescent psychiatry as a specialty, it constitutes “a step forward which responds to the evolution of scientific knowledge and the growing demand for care in this area”.
But they believe that this is “insufficient” to face current challenges. “In Spain, there already exist specialized consultations in pediatrics which still do not benefit from official recognition, even if the PEA has been claiming it for more than a decade,” they point out.
They thus emphasize that lack of recognition This makes it difficult to adequately train professionals and organize health resources, which is why “the procedures to achieve this formalization should be much more simplified”.
Currently, the specialties of neonatology, intensive care, emergency, pediatric endocrinology and neurology have received approval from the National Commission for the Specialty of Pediatrics be recognized as Specific Training Areas (ACE), but they are still trying to obtain favorable reports and economic studies from seven different autonomous communities established as a requirement by Royal Decree 589/2022, of July 19, which regulates training transversal of specialties in Health Sciences. Other pediatric disciplines are turning to alternative routes to their official status via the continuing education diploma.
“Protect him physical and mental health of children and adolescents This is a priority that we all need to work on together. We urge health authorities, managers of health, educational and social services and society as a whole to support this cause and provide the necessary resources to build a healthy future for our next generations,” concluded the president of the AEP, Luis Carlos Blesa.
