Digital society and mental health

On November 3, 4, and 5, 2021, a new edition of the Catalan Congress of Mental Health.
The Congress focused on the digital environment and mental health, a topic that has been widely debated in several FCCSM conferences, especially concerning its impact on children and adolescents. Currently, and following the COVID-19 health crisis, it is a subject that has gained even greater relevance at all levels.

Beyond being a matter of utmost timeliness, there is a consensus regarding its great social relevance, and specifically, for the collective mental health. Therefore, it was interesting to address both its obvious risks and its potential in society and in mental healthcare in particular.

In this 7th edition of the Congress, the memorial has not been dedicated to the figure of a single person, but rather to a phenomenon that has affected everyone, both at a health level and at a social level: “Covid-19, a collective pain”.

Without a doubt, the Effects of the pandemic on mental health of the general population and healthcare professionals are having a significant impact, and from this Congress we also wanted to echo that.

The Congress was a deliberative meeting for developing recommendations and proposals, from which to consider new challenges and lines of work in the coming years (2022-2025).

In addition to in-person discussion spaces, this year the Congress has also promoted its presence in online debates via social media, thus expanding opportunities for participation to new audiences.

The current pandemic COVID-19 is having very adverse effects on the mental health of the population, and paramount among these are the losses of family members and loved ones. Several circumstances are making the processing of these losses especially difficult, and as is well known, distortion of the mourning process can have negative long-term consequences.

In the early stages, there was great uncertainty regarding the illness and its progression, causing feelings of anguish and helplessness in family members. The difficulty in accompanying and saying goodbye to patients in hospitals was also very prevalent, despite the efforts and emotional support of the professionals. Obstacles related to social distancing, preventing the usual funeral ceremonies, have compromised the emotional support and warmth that these provide.

Furthermore, the sheer magnitude of the numbers and the rate of deaths, coupled with the economic losses and the disruption of life plans, impose a tragic dimension on the current situation.

This is why a significant solidarity effort is needed to confront the psychological effects of the pandemic and the losses it is causing. The FCCSM with this memorial wanted to contribute to this collective task, remembering and accompanying in their grief those who have lost a loved one, and also all of us who feel involved in what is happening. In this context, we remembered, with a special mention, two friends and collaborators of the Foundation who passed away in the context of Covid. Montse Feu, social worker and Josep Ma Armengou, a public health doctor, two professionals highly committed to their profession and social issues. To both of them, with deep emotion, our remembrance and recognition.

The Congress has once again been a broad space for meeting and participation, both in its preparatory phase and during its celebration. The content, work sessions, and consequently, the final program of the Congress, were defined based on the proposals of three working groups that worked in the months preceding the Congress.

Below are the three working groups, with the topics they addressed, the direction of their proposals, and their composition.