Pandemic worsened youth mental health, overwhelming university services: ex-minister

Spain's former Minister of Universities, Joan Subirats, warned that the COVID-19 pandemic triggered an "explosion" of mental health problems among university students. This surge overwhelmed psychological support services and forced higher education institutions to expand their assistance.

Subirats, speaking at the National Autonomous University of Mexico's Institute of Social Research, stated that mental health has become a prominent indicator of deeper societal issues such as inequality, exclusion, and urban segregation. He observed that "unwanted loneliness" has gained prominence, exacerbated by the rise of individualism and intensive technology use, which contribute to social isolation.

In Spain, suicide is now the primary cause of death for individuals between 18 and 25 years old, a stark indicator of the crisis's scale. Subirats emphasized that while inequality and segregation are not new, they have become more complex and severe in various urban settings. He called for renewed community ties, strengthened collective action, and revised community-based responses.

The academic also cautioned about the effects of digitalization, noting that while it expands access to information, it can also create new forms of exclusion and fuel social polarization. He pointed out the paradox that despite unprecedented knowledge about social problems, translating this understanding into effective solutions remains challenging.