One of the most revealing consequences of the pandemic is that it has served to surface problems of emotional, psychological and social well-being that already existed in our society. Undoubtedly, the impact of social isolation and the uncertainty that accompanied the epidemic also contributed to increasing tensions on the population. The positive aspect is that the experience lived served to normalize the situation and make visible disorders that are increasingly being identified as a priority public health issue.
What symptoms reveal that we may have an emotional problem? How can we prevent these situations? These are some of the questions that Susana Quadrado, editor-in-chief of Society at La Vanguardia, posed to the experts who participated in the session "Health and emotional well-being in the spotlight", organized by La Vanguardia and BBVA, and which was broadcast streaming on the website of this newspaper. Silvia Álava, PhD in Clinical and Health Psychology, and Francisco Rey, Director of Business Development at BBVA Seguros, contributed their knowledge to offer a broad vision of addressing a very relevant issue for the lives of many people. Before the pandemic, the World Health Organization warned that "25% of the population had an emotional health problem," Álava recalled.
In any case, the social isolation imposed to combat the spread of the coronavirus caused a momentous change. “It seems that the pandemic opened the ban on talking about emotional health,” said the psychologist. “Before it was something that we kept inside and we were ashamed to say: I have an anxiety or stress problem.
Now, on the other hand, we dare to talk about it much more”.
For Álava, the impact that the pandemic has had on the management of emotions is logical. “We spent three months locked up at home and when we came out we did not recover our life as it was before the isolation.” For a long time we lived with a series of restrictions that blew up "the emotional regulation strategies that we all use almost innately," the psychologist clarified. We couldn't go for a drink after a stressful day or enjoy a weekend getaway, for example.
The lack of social contact has been especially complicated for adolescents, since "at their age they build their personality through their peer group and having had limited access for so long has harmed them," said the doctor in Psychology. Parents, teachers and the rest of the adults who are part of their closest environment "have the responsibility to help them".
The data corroborate the relationship between the lived experience and the evolution of emotional health problems. The expert revealed that “in the first year of the pandemic, emotional disorders and anxiety or depression increased by 25%. Currently, one in eight people has an anxiety or depression problem.
But not everything that happens to us in terms of emotional, psychological and social health is attributable to the pandemic. There are more factors at play. In this sense, Francisco Rey stressed that "the economic situation has been added to the pandemic, the crisis in Ukraine and the sharp rises in prices, among other issues" that do not contribute to favoring our emotional well-being.
The head of BBVA Seguros cited a recent study by Sanitas "in which 8.3% of Spaniards indicate that their mental health is not good and 40.7% acknowledge that it should be better". In short, half of the population believes that their emotional well-being must improve.
In parallel to this perfect emotional storm, "we have not increased the tools and capabilities that help us overcome this situation," explained Álava. No one has told us that "when we have anxiety it is because our brain is interpreting a dangerous situation, even if that danger is not real." The reason is that “we anticipate what can happen and we put ourselves in the worst possible scenario”. For the psychologist it is necessary to "learn to stop and reassess the situation."
Regardless of the current difficult situation, Álava stressed that the pandemic put us before a mirror. "We were all on automatic pilot, focused on solving the day to day of a complicated life." From one day to the next "we stayed at home in an atypical situation that made many people wonder where their lives were going." According to the psychologist, some were satisfied with this process and, on the other hand, others "thought there had to be a different way to manage this."
Accessing specialized medical care is a concern that arises when we assume that we have an emotional well-being problem. This is one of the reasons why health insurance is growing so much. According to data from ICEA, the Insurance Employers' Study Center, Francisco Rey highlighted that “Health is the branch that is growing most strongly. In 2021, the contracting of policies increased by 4.9% in the sector as a whole, and in the case of BBVA it reached 16%”, according to official data.
This trend has accelerated. “In 2022, sectoral growth was 7%, while BBVA Seguros shot up to 20%; and in 2023, according to data from February, the global increase was 8% and BBVA reached 20% again”. For the manager, "our growth has been motivated by actively listening to what our clientele was demanding of us." Rey stated that "in 2020 we are already beginning to see a greater concern for emotional well-being." The response from the entity was the launch of personalized health programs that two years later, in October 2022, gave rise to "the Take care of your mind initiative", which addresses this problem in a more specific way.
The active listening process made it possible to gather more valuable information. Francisco Rey highlighted that "we detected that our policyholders want to use technology and benefit from everything that is available to them." As a result, the manager reported that "in the last year, our policyholders have made more than 110,000 video consultations." Parallel to this growth, "we detected an increase in the field of emotional health consultations, in which technology also allows us to go further".
Silvia Álava recalled that "sometimes we are unfair and we blame technology for many things that happen to us, especially the youngest, but the problem arises from misuse and not from the technology itself." As an example of good practices, the expert assured that it allows us to provide personal assistance when for reasons of geographical distance or even time we cannot do it in person”.
The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has opened new doors for healthcare practice. Rey explained that "from Take care of your mind and using the mobile, the insured, if they wish, can take an online test that lasts between 5 and 6 minutes and provides a psychological evaluation of the state of their emotional health." Based on the conclusions obtained, "a world of options opens up that goes from offering therapies with readings or habit recommendations to putting the insured in contact with an expert, either through a video consultation or in person," explained the manager. of BBVA Insurance. The application also allows you to record "how we feel or the pattern of sleep to be able to share this information with the specialist later."
How to know if the origin of a health problem is emotional? Silvia Álava assured that these situations are always worked on as a team with the participation of a doctor to determine if there is an organic cause. In any case, the psychologist stated that "emotions affect our health." She stressed that "not all the emotions we experience are pleasant, but they are all good because they give us information about what is happening to us."
A very common tendency is “since I don't like what I'm feeling, I'm going to cover it up. But the emotion does not disappear and there comes a moment that interferes with the work that I have to do”. In short, "I can't stop thinking about it." In the end, "the body, which has been sending us alarm signals, gets sick." This psychosomatic reaction can be very diverse. "There are people who suddenly have migraine attacks, other gastrointestinal problems or skin rashes," said Álava. The expert claimed that one should not wait for a clinical problem to act. "The moment we detect a series of situations that we do not know how to manage is when we have to ask for help."
The psychologist stated that "we cannot have good emotional health when we are not physically well." Diet and exercise are essential, as is sleeping eight hours a day. During sleep, the brain carries out a repair process "which, if not completed, can end up developing various diseases in the medium and long term." Álava explained that "we know that while we sleep our anxiety is balanced, but if we lack hours of sleep "our window of tolerance decreases and in the face of any day-to-day setback we overflow."
Prevention is essential to protect our emotional health. Francisco Rey declared that it is precisely in prevention where health insurance makes the difference. "At BBVA, together with our partner Sanitas, we create health programs where we have 140 professionals who make tailored suits for our policyholders," he explained. The head of Business Development stressed that "these insurances are available to all our customers." On the economic level, "we have determined a monthly payment that avoids unforeseen events and, on the other hand, in 2021, we were pioneers launching health insurance for people over 75 years of age."
