Ministry trains local staff to detect adolescent emotional distress

The Ministry of Health this week ran a two-day training to strengthen early detection of emotional distress among adolescents, with the aim of preventing it from developing into substance use or other risk behaviours. Around 30 youth technicians from local councils and the Government, together with police officers, took part in sessions on 11 and 12 December organised under the National Plan against Drug Dependence (PNCD).

The course was delivered by Dr Xavier Montaner Casino, a health psychologist and neuropsychology specialist who combines clinical work with teaching and research at Universitat Abat Oliba CEU and Universitat Rovira i Virgili. Montaner — author of Me cuido, te cuido and Siente bien, vive mejor — covered recognising signs of distress, associated risk factors, emotional-regulation strategies and practical tools to improve communication and the educational relationship with young people.

Sessions combined theoretical briefings with interactive dynamics and real-case discussions designed to bolster everyday practice. Participants worked on detecting unaddressed emotional difficulties that often underlie risk behaviours linked to substance use, and on concrete interventions to accompany adolescents before problems escalate.

The training forms part of the ministry’s annual programme for professionals working directly with young people and responds to growing demand from mental health organisations. Officials said the initiative reinforces the PNCD’s preventive model — rooted in community-based health promotion and salutogenesis — by strengthening protective factors around adolescents and promoting timely, coordinated local responses to emotional needs.