Overview

• Regional figures cited by PAHO show anxiety and depression in 15–24 year olds rose 14% after lockdowns, with about 160 million people living with mental disorders in the Americas and only around one in five receiving treatment.
• In Mexico, experts report that roughly 70% of people who need psychological care go untreated and that people with depression wait an average of 14 years to reach treatment, reflecting chronic underfunding with about 2% of the health budget for mental health and scarce pediatric services.
• UNAM has expanded campus responses: its Prosam program has delivered more than 25,000 consultations since 2020 and the Espora network now fields over 150 specialists across 31 sites, offers brief therapy, and prioritizes urgent cases within 48 hours.
• At Spain’s national event, Queen Letizia and Health Minister Mónica García urged integrating mental-health support into disaster response and ensuring access for displaced people and those with disabilities.
• New snapshots of strain and response include UBA’s finding that 35% of Argentines report psychological malaise, reports of high burnout among healthcare workers, and school-based outreach by IMSS‑Bienestar in Sonora to promote early help-seeking.