The Adeje mental health and welfare programme, run by the department of health, under councillor Amada Trujillo Bencomo, has been helping people for 13 years. Created in 2009 the programme works to assist in strengthening the mental health of people who are suffering - from social, economic or recently a pandemic related crisis or anxiety. The overall objective, says the councillor, is to “improve the health and quality of life of the people of Adeje, in particular those affected by emotional issues”.
The focus is to promote the physical, psychological and social health of our local population. Trujillo Bencomo, who is a qualified medical practitioner, says, “This is a municipal resource, in particular for those with economic challenges, or feelings of instability, those who may already be using social and health services.”
The project is now being included in the Adeje ‘Mentalízate’ programme, which is a post-pandemic project designed specifically as a cross-departmental project (health, education, and community welfare), offering residents a series of resources designed to mitigate some of the psychological effects of the pandemic.
Interventions under this programme may be individual or in groups, working in areas such as self-awareness and personal development, two key areas in this sphere. The programme is run by qualified professionals.
Post-pandemic mental health
During 2020 and 2021 there was a notable increase in the number of cases of persons presenting with emotional issues to Adeje’s services. Anxiety and uncertainty due to the economic situation, questions about job stability, psychological problems as a result of extended social distancing restrictions, isolation, lack of physical contact with loved ones, fear of contracting the virus, all these contributed to mental issues among the population.
The World Health Organisation has released data for these years. In 2020 and 2021 cases of serious depression and anxiety rose by 28% and 26% respectively. Women have been more affected than men, young people more than the older generation, with a parallel increase in cases of suicides in particular among young people.
