Amaia Montero spent a lot of time away from the stage. The singer had a serious mental health problem that she did not mind acknowledging in public. Depression, anxiety, lack of hope. The abyss arrives without warning. Life fades into grey and the tone of that grey is becoming increasingly darker. On Sunday, the artist surprised everyone by singing a duet in Madrid with a world star of the stature of Karol G the song Rosas . Social media quickly turned the moment into a trending topic.
Amaia Montero’s trembling hand holding the microphone said it all. An everyday gesture for a singer was seen by many as heroic. Some defined the scene as “music history in Spain”. She was afraid, that’s normal. But she has returned to her profession and that’s what counts. There may still be time to see the former vocalist of La Oreja de Van Gogh sing solo. Until then, her lesson in courage can serve as an example to others.
Mental health is an increasingly serious problem in Spain and, unfortunately, public media do not have the capacity to deal with it. There are no resources and sometimes the illnesses require prompt attention.
Last week, a resident of the Community of Madrid was diagnosed with a severe anxiety disorder. The emergency doctor who treated him at a public hospital requested preferential care in the psychiatric service of the specialist centre, which proposed a first appointment for the patient on 16 December. Five months later. The professionals at the service recognised that patients with non-urgent problems take more than a year to be treated.
This recent and real case shows that this is a problem in which economic status matters. Families with high incomes are, logically, more likely to be able to afford treatment. Those with fewer resources depend on a saturated system that is not prepared for a problem that is becoming increasingly important. There is therefore no other option: more resources.
There is no solution without resources. And the problem concerns all citizens. It is important to see Amaia Montero back on stage, but it is also necessary that this policy be reinforced in the next budgets of the State and the autonomous regions.
Source: www.lavanguardia.com
