Madrid, October 11, 2023.

Anxiety is the most common mental health problem in Spain. It affects 6.7% of the population, according to figures from the Ministry of Health. But the reality is that the figure is higher, according to psychologist Ana Lucas, director of the Madrid Psycho-Health Office, because this percentage only represents officially diagnosed people. Furthermore, the figures provided by health centers show that women suffer from it almost twice as often as men (8.8% compared to 4.5%).

Most of the consultations that psychologists receive are related to a greater or lesser extent to the imbalances caused by this emotion that is activated by situations that cause the feeling of danger. What is commonly called anxiety is actually a cluster of emotions that are activated depending on the situations that the person experiences, such as joy, fear, shame or blockage. When these emotions are triggered disproportionately by any personal experience, then the entire nervous system goes into stress and symptoms begin that can last over time and lead to all kinds of psychological problems. The Spanish Society for the Study of Anxiety, made up of psychologists and doctors, defines anxiety as a natural emotion that has similarities to other emotions such as joy, anger or sadness. According to psychologist Ana Lucas: "there are many situations in life that cause stress, such as a work or family problem, and it is normal for anxiety to trigger in these types of situations. To identify what is underneath the anxiety, we use x-rays. mental, we analyze how much fear, restlessness, loneliness, guilt, demand or anger, among others, occupy. These are all emotions that usually appear hand in hand, each one of them has a reason and a function to fulfill. Once we learn to identify, understand, regulate and act on each of these sensations, it is easier for the person to face those situations that previously generated a lot of emotional intensity, or in other words, anxiety." When anxiety persists over time, we can speak of an anxiety disorder, which limits life. When you suffer from this disorder, it is common to experience panic attacks, which are nothing more than a very intense reaction that causes anxiety, which completely paralyzes and even causes physical sensations that lead to the belief that they can cause death. "These situations leave a mark of fear on the person, which limits their activity. This becomes a circle that is difficult to get out of, but no one dies from an anxiety attack." One of the most effective treatment therapies is EMDR. (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) developed by North American psychologist Francine Shapiro in the 1980s. "EMDR acts at all levels of the nervous system. We work by aligning the cognitive or intellectual part, regulating and putting order in the emotions. In this way the person begins to feel coherence between what he thinks and what he feels. On the other hand, we unblock and help him generate other resources at a behavioral level. Finally, we clean or repair the emotional traces that "This approach addresses the source of anxiety, the underlying causes, reduces symptoms, and provides long-lasting benefits."

Contact Contact name: Ana Lucas Prieto, Psychologist Contact description: Psycho-Health Director Contact telephone number: 605421752