Spain Advances Mental Health Care with New Programs and Declining Depression Diagnoses

In 2025, Spain has made significant strides in mental health care through expanded programs and a notable decrease in depression diagnoses. In the Region of Murcia, around 1,200 individuals participated in anxiety and depression programs conducted by the Servicio Murciano de Salud (SMS). The initiative, which includes 58 completed support groups, aims to enhance access and quality of care for common mental disorders via structured group interventions in primary care. SMS also runs 'Activamente' support groups targeting daily stressors and launched the 'Code Suicide Risk' protocol alongside the youth-focused 'Grita!' campaign, which travels through all 45 municipalities with a mobile unit to raise mental health awareness among adolescents. Nationally, SMS is leading the "ImpleMENTAL" project, adopting best practices from Austrian suicide prevention.

In Euskadi, the Basque Health Department reports a 12% decrease in new depression cases, with 3,434 diagnoses in 2025, although the number of people living with depression remains high at nearly 20,000. The region boasts a favorable psychiatrist-to-population ratio of 15 per 100,000, exceeding the Spanish average. Women aged 46 to 75 represent 65% of depression cases. Osakidetza, the regional health service, provides over 500,000 consultations annually supported by 1,600 mental health professionals, and is pioneering online cognitive-behavioral therapy and the integration of general health psychologists into primary care. Emphasis continues on early symptom recognition, suicide prevention, and interventions promoting lifestyle changes to reduce depression risk.

Both regions highlighted the importance of mental health awareness on World Depression Day, underlining ongoing efforts to de-stigmatize mental illness and encourage individuals to seek help timely. These programs illustrate a coordinated national and regional approach to improving mental health services and outcomes in Spain.