# Mental Health services in Spain



## victoryanne

Hi, I am Bipolar and want to move to Spain later this year. What are the mental health services like? Once I start paying social security will it allow me to access the community mental health team services? I would need a CPN to administer my injections, and to check my mental health. Would my injections be free or reduced cost? I know that in the UK my injections cost a few hundred each, so i don't want to have to pay this, and I'm not very good at taking tablets, hence the reason I am on injections. What are the mental health hopsitals like? In the UK they are rather horrible, but have heard in Europe they are a bit better, anyone know what Spanish ones are like, specifically in Valencia region?
Thanks for any info,
Vicky


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## brocher

victoryanne said:


> Hi, I am Bipolar and want to move to Spain later this year. What are the mental health services like? Once I start paying social security will it allow me to access the community mental health team services? I would need a CPN to administer my injections, and to check my mental health. Would my injections be free or reduced cost? I know that in the UK my injections cost a few hundred each, so i don't want to have to pay this, and I'm not very good at taking tablets, hence the reason I am on injections. What are the mental health hopsitals like? In the UK they are rather horrible, but have heard in Europe they are a bit better, anyone know what Spanish ones are like, specifically in Valencia region?
> Thanks for any info,
> Vicky


There is some discussion on this thread about mental health care.- 

http://www.expatforum.com/expats/sp...n/745418-20-year-old-looking-fresh-start.html

You mention paying social security contributions- that would allow you to access state healthcare. Do you have a job lines up already to make sure you will be covered?


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## AllHeart

victoryanne said:


> Hi, I am Bipolar and want to move to Spain later this year. What are the mental health services like? Once I start paying social security will it allow me to access the community mental health team services? I would need a CPN to administer my injections, and to check my mental health. Would my injections be free or reduced cost? I know that in the UK my injections cost a few hundred each, so i don't want to have to pay this, and I'm not very good at taking tablets, hence the reason I am on injections. What are the mental health hopsitals like? In the UK they are rather horrible, but have heard in Europe they are a bit better, anyone know what Spanish ones are like, specifically in Valencia region?
> Thanks for any info,
> Vicky


Hi Vicky. Welcome to the forum. 

Here's a previous thread on mental health that might interest you: http://www.expatforum.com/expats/sp...pain/581505-mental-healthcare-valladolid.html

I admire your guts to be so open about your mental illness. It took me a year and when I had already moved before I came out on the forum. So my hat goes off to you for reaching out before moving.

The mental healthcare in Canada is brutal too. It's very violent and there are mental health acts in each province that make the brutal treatment legal. My mental health problems and the poor treatment in Canada are one of the biggest reasons I moved to Spain. You can read about that in the thread Brocher posted above.

There is one obvious benefit to living in Spain's healthcare system - they have very little in the way of mental health laws. When laws are in place to strip you of your rights and to treat you brutally, to my way of thinking, it is best not to have laws. It irks me that of the billions of illnesses, only the mentally ill have laws in place that govern their treatment. Apparently Spain is getting pressure from other members of the EU to increase the legislation on the treatment of mentally ill patients.

Community treatment orders are in place here in Spain, but the legislation for this is minimal.

Restraints are in legal here, i.e. locked rooms and physical restraints to tie you to the bed and assaults by staff to forcibly inject you if you don't voluntarily comply to an injection. However, apparently restraints are used sparingly here. 

The advance directives system here is superb. This is where you can write instructions when you're in a sane state of mind as to how you want to be treated when incapacitated (unable to make decisions, such as mental crisis). When you write them up, these advance directives go to the computer systems of the autonomous region you're in as well as Madrid, so that no matter where you are in Spain, your advance directives are honoured.

Your need for monthly injections makes me think the type of bipolar you have is bipolar 1 with psychosis. Is that correct? If so, I'd highly recommend that you set up advance directives. 

They do have a set-up for monthly injections here, although I don't know what exact clinic you'd be going to. I have an unusually high level of insight and judgement with my mental illness, and I need very little medication to manage, unless I go psychotic, when I need to go to hospital for an injection. That's only happened in four periods of my life. My symptoms are managed by other self-therapy tools. When I came to Spain, my doctor asked if what I was doing was working for me. I said yes. So she kept everything the same. My guess is they would do the same for you, as it only makes sense.

I'm absolutely petrified of going psychotic and ending up in hospital, not knowing how they're going to treat me. My psychosis is brought on my extreme stress, and this move is extremely stressful. I'm especially worried because of my limited Spanish, so I'll make even less sense to them in psychotic state. I'm doing everything I can - using all my tools - to stay stable so that I don't have to find out what admission is like. To offset the stress of moving, though, is the joy of being in Spain. 

One more thing - about supports. I suggest you keep your supports strong back home. I always say the two best antipsychotics are sleep and love. 

Anyway, that's all I can think of to help you for now. I hope this helps you even a little. I'm here if you need any support, as is a huge crew of kind and caring forum members.


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## Pesky Wesky

Just found this 
I don't think it gives much info to be honest but I'll post it just in case!
https://www.gov.uk/government/world-location-news/concerns-about-mental-health


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