тАЬEnter and cry,тАЭ one sign tells visitors. тАЬI too have anxiety,тАЭ glows another notice in pink. There are phones in one corner with the names of people you can call when you are feeling down, including a psychologist.
Welcome to La Lloreria, or the Crying Room. Anyone can drop in at the project, housed in a building in central Madrid, which aims to remove the stigma in society attached to mental health, crying and seeking help.
Two women stand close to a neon light sign that reads тАЬfeeling bad is also fineтАЭ in тАШLa LloreriaтАЩ. (REUTERS/Juan Medina)
тАЬIt is a really excellent idea to visualise the mental health issue. It is stigmatised to cry in Spain as in many other countries,тАЭ said Jon Nelssom, a Swedish student who lives in the Spanish capital.
A week ago Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez separately announced a 100-million-euro ($116 million) mental healthcare drive, which will include services such as a 24-hour suicide helpline.
A woman poses for a photo inside a cage at a crying space named тАШLa LloreriaтАЩ to raise awareness about mental health. The message displayed on cage reads: тАЬI also have anxietyтАЭ. (REUTERS/Juan Medina)
тАЬIt is not a taboo, it is a public health problem that we must talk about, make visible and act accordingly,тАЭ he said about mental illness as he launched the plan on October 10, World Mental Health Day.
In 2019, 3,671 people died from suicide in Spain, the second most common cause of death after natural causes. One in 10 adolescents has been diagnosed with a mental health condition while 5.8% of the overall population suffers from anxiety, according to government data.
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