Psychological disorders, such as anxiety and others, are at the forefront of health problems in the population of our country, which is currently the largest consumer of benzodiazepines (anxiolytics and antidepressants), ahead of the United States. In this article, we tell you everything you need to know about how to treat anxiety without abusing these substances, which are not at all harmless to health.
The Organization of Consumers and Users denounces the alarming situation regarding the growth in the consumption of benzodiazepines in Spain, pointing out that these psychotropic drugs have significant side effects and a high risk of dependence.
Psychotropic drugs treat increasingly common disorders such as depression, anxiety, or insomnia, among others. They are effective in the short term, but in the long term they are harmful to health: in addition to creating dependence, they are not always the best treatment, as we will see below. There are other alternatives for the treatment of these disorders, and CBD and its benefits are emerging as one of the best options.
Growing mental health problems
Before the pandemic, around 20% of Spaniards were undergoing psychological treatment; since then, more than 40% of the population has visited a psychologist for anxiety problems and more than 30% for depression.
More than a third of Spaniards have a mental health problem. The most frequent are Common Mental Disorders: anxiety, depression, and somatization; although others such as eating disorders or behavioral disorders continue to increase, as well as suicide attempts. Particularly alarming is the increase in mental health problems in the child and adolescent population, according to the Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas (CIS).
On the other hand, according to the Ministry of Health, since 2018 almost half of the consultations with the family doctor are related to psychoemotional problems.
This increase in mental health consultations has increased the prescription and consumption of psychotropic drugs, which may seem an effective solution in the short term, but in the long run, neither solve the problem nor are harmless to the patient’s health.
The precarious situation of the public health system, the lack of attention to mental health, and the effects of the pandemic have generated an increase in psychological problems and abuse of psychotropic medicine in the general population. It is urgent to seek and explore other solutions to this problem since the increased use of these drugs is yet another sign of what is known as the medicalization of life, the use of drugs to solve all the problems of people.
Pills are not the best or the only option.
People with anxiety problems, insomnia, and other disorders are often unaware of and perhaps even reject options other than drugs. However, not all profiles and cases require this pharmacological treatment.
Cases of mild anxiety should be treated with psychological therapy, a much more harmless option for patients, but one that is increasingly less viable due, among other factors, to the lack of mental health specialists. Treating the source of anxiety is much more convenient than treating only its symptoms. Visit JustALittleBite where you will find lots of great information and practical advice about using CBD.
