The deterioration of the mental health of children and adolescents has consequences on the psychological state of teachers. To help teachers in the daily management of their emotions and their students, more and more autonomous people provide psychological and legal attention to deal with problems in the classroom. There are 13 communities that offer free services that help manage the most complex cases of student accidents and suicides, in order to stop them in time. Andalusia and Aragon were the latest this month, while Galicia is preparing a law to have psychologists and lawyers specialized in schools in 2026.
Among the 13 regions that help relieve mental stress, Castile and León stands out, present since 2018. Later the service was integrated in the Canary Islands, Catalonia, Asturias, Murcia, Extremadura, Basque Country, Navarra, Cantabria, Castile-La Mancha, Valencian Community and now Aragon and Andalusia. The latter community, where three girls died this fall, created its teacher support unit this year, following petitions from education unions. Galicia also hopes to have it in 2026, while the Balearic Islands and La Rioja are not yet considered. The Comunidad de Madrid did not respond to this newspaper.
The tragic case of two young people aged 15 and 16, who appeared on November 29 in Jaén, led to the suicide of Sandra P., a young Sevillian who ended her life in mid-October after reporting the incident. One of the institutes that studied one of the teenagers from Jaén had an open protocol against self-harm. Pending the results of the police investigation, this case reveals a legacy that extends into classrooms, destroys families and generates mental problems in some teachers who are not prepared to face these situations.
“There is a sudden increase in the number of cases and the teacher is overworked: now he must be more than a teacher, beneficiary of mental health problems, suicidal ideas and be attentive to coexistence. Before the slightest specha, we must be researchers to detect it, in the field we give courses. A multidisciplinary team of 18 psychiatrists, educational inspectors, counselors, psychologists, nurses and center directors support 27,000 primary and secondary teachers.
Aragón completed 247 protocols for suicidal ideation at the beginning of the course and completed 381 –a 54% more―; of 104 protocols by chance rises to 169 among its 150,000 children and adolescents. Meanwhile, the Canaries recorded 14 cases of assault, threat or coercion during the 2023-2024 season, which increased to 25 in the last campaign. At the start of this course, its teachers opened 1,018 protocols for suicide attempts and 424 for accidents and cyberattacks, according to official data.
In Aragon, most teachers consider their work very stressful and 40% suffer from burnout or low motivation due to the lack of social recognition of the profession in high-conflict classes, according to data provided by the Autonomous Government of Aragon.
Cristina Bermejo, technical advisor to the Canarian Education Council, describes an improvement in coexistence in classes: “There has been a change in the models of social authority. The figure of the teacher had an authority which, over time, diminished. The Canadian government has been providing psychological assistance to its 30,000 teachers since 2022, but it is currently preparing a law on teachers’ authority which will strengthen its team of specialists.
Teachers and directors of schools and institutes feel overwhelmed: every week they record new cases of students with suicidal thoughts and self-harm, others who suffer from harassment, cyber accusations or child abuse, an increase in the rate of child poverty… And each student has a follow-up of their case which lasts weeks or months, and which implies great mental tension for teachers, who open protocols to deal with the problems as soon as possible. consequences and whose concerns last beyond the working day because the consequences can be fatal.
The Andalusian President (PP), Juan Manuel Moreno, had promised in June 2024 in Parliament to create a psychological and legal support unit for teachers in 2025, and this commitment was kept on the back burner within the Autonomous Advisory Council. That said, it will not come into force within a few months, according to the admission of councilor Carmen Castillo, and legal assistance has actually been provided since 2007.
Meanwhile, cases occur and part of the 130,000 Andalusian teachers are overwhelmed by the flood of emotional problems that encourage social networking among their students. “We need personal experts in mental health to manage these protocols: psychologists, social workers and other health workers. When a problem arises, it must be resolved, but this is not enough with the management of the center, there must be a reversal,” protests José Madero, of the Asadian union.
The objective of the Aragonese Government with its new support unit is the emotional improvement of teachers and provides legal advice. “Not working in a tornillo factory, I am with people and I constantly have problems in my head. Before the professor was concerned about giving good to his class, now he has arrived at the perfect storm of all the societal problems that are reflected in the class. And above all, we see how society is struggling to take advantage of three months of vacancies, while it has a lot of vacancy assignments and external concerns,” concludes Arroyo.
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