Psychiatry and Psychotherapy
Written by:Dr. Matilde Hernández is a psychiatrist and psychotherapist trained at the Tavistock Clinic in London where she specialized in working with adolescents and groups. He is responsible for the Training Programs on Detection and Prevention of Depression and Suicide of the Autonomous University of Madrid. He has more than 30 years of professional experience with adults and adolescents.
To whom are the programs on depression and suicide addressed?
In 2009, to primary care physicians of the Community of Madrid, and in 2010, to professionals who work with geriatric patients. They were subsidized by the Ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs as an activity for the development of the Mental Health Strategy. Since then, they have continued teaching in geriatric residences of the Regional Social Welfare Service of the Community of Madrid. Much remains to be done, every 40 seconds someone dies of suicide in the world and the Council of Europe has expressed concern about the increase in youth rates. It is necessary to adapt the contents of the programs to the needs of the professionals and the people they serve, involving the whole team, because many factors intervene. The World Health Organization warns for years that in 2020 depression will go from being the fifth cause of disease burden in the world to take second place, and probably the first in 2030, due in part to the aging of the population since it is not always diagnosed and treated properly.
You have trained in world-renowned centers such as the University of Cambridge and the Tavistock Clinic and also work in English and Italian.
They are fundamental references and I am still closely linked to the Tavistock. I went to specialize in psychotherapy and work with adolescents for psychiatrists and I was fortunate to have the director of the clinic as a personal tutor; he introduced me to work with groups and institutions, especially educational and health. The relationship between psychiatry and psychotherapy is very present in the daily clinical work and also in the courses. The therapeutic relationship is fundamental so that the patient can talk about their emotions and feel heard and understood in depth. It is also necessary to report on pharmacological and psychotherapeutic treatments according to individual needs, taking into account the person's environment. I am an honorary member of the Il Nodo Group in Turin and I have been working with them for many years in training in group relations according to the Tavistock model, also in other countries. We all spend a good part of our life in groups and organizations, starting with the family group, working and interacting with others. The experience can be very rewarding but also very frustrating and painful; it can favor or frustrate creativity, promote collaboration or generate conflicts.
He also works with teenagers and young people.
The function of the adolescent process is to establish a mature and independent adult identity and it is not easy for adolescents, who have to face many obstacles, and sometimes not for parents.. There are also cultural factors related to social, economic and technological changes that affect the way you relate to yourself and others. All treatments used with adults and children may be necessary in adolescents. Given the great influence exercised by groups at that age, group therapy can be in many cases the most indicated, and the one that helps them grow the most.. As with adults, more and more work is done with groups.
