Requests for psychological aid increase by 121% between 2020 and 2021

In the wake of World Mental Health Day, we presented our report of the main needs by age group; women are the ones who mostly seek our free emotional help.

Requests for psychological aid increased by 121% in the first part of the year in comparison with the same period of 2020, according to the Mental Health 2020-2021 Report of the Citizen Council for Safety and Justice in Mexico City.

Presented within the framework of World Mental Health Day, commemorated on October 10^th, the reports highlights that from January to September of this year the organism’s team of psychologists helped 38t thousand 418 people, while in the same period of last year there were 17 thousand 392.

“The pandemic allowed us to raise awareness about health as a wholesome value: even though we are physically healthy, we will hardly be able to feel fulfilled if our emotions are affected or openly violated. Mental health is a right and in the Citizen Council we are committed with making everyone feel that they’re not alone, ever,” Salvador Guerrero Chiprés, president of the Citizen Council said.

Data from the organism establish that, between January 2020 and September of this year, 66 thousand 786 people have received support, that is, 104 people daily.

Among the report’s findings, with 69% of the cases, women are those who most frequently seek the free psychological aid the Citizen Council offers through the Safety Line or the Trustworthy Chat 55 5533 5533, which operates 24/7 anywhere in the country and abroad.

Around 36% of the Psychological First Aid requests come from people 12 to 20 years of age who mostly report problems within the family, their partner, emotional problems, anxiety and depression.

Among adults ages 31 to 40 and those 41 to 50, break ups and relationship problems were the main reason to ask for help.

Around 76% of the 3 thousand 116 requests for emotional containment of older people correspond to women and 90% of the reports were made by phone, a n important fact that highlights the digital gap in this age group, whose main concerns are problems within the family and aid to overcome grief.

Also, the Emotional Recovery Centers of the Citizen Council that already have four seats thanks to the territorial expansion the organism has had during the current administration –Amberes, Iztapalapa, Azcapotzalco and Benito Juárez–, one thousand 292 people have received free in-person or virtual therapy, out of which 81.5% are women and 29% were due to violence within the family and 12% for grief.

“Receiving therapy does not have to be a luxury, it’s a right; normalizing contact with emotions and naming them is the first part of a process in which it’s necessary to act as a community, including citizens, businesses and authorities; in that chain of help you can find our services,” Guerrero Chiprés added.

The 2020-2021 Mental Health Report of the Citizen council for Safety and Justice in Mexico City registered that 41% of the requests for help came from the nation’s capital, 46% from other states of the Republic and 1% from abroad, while the remaining 12% didn’t mention their place of origin.