Mental health is often linked to the ability to manage one’s emotions, thoughts, behaviors and interactions. However, contrary to what many think, mental health is not merely an individual attribute. Mental health also comprises social, cultural, political, economic, and environmental factors.

Much is said today about taking care of one’s mental health. This is an ample and complex process that involves analyzing situations of oppression, injustice, and inequality, as well as creating systems and networks of support and care. Psychotherapy is part of this system. It is not possible to talk about mental health without thinking about everything that causes psychological distress– that is, it’s etiology (the process of determining the causes and origins of a given phenomenon).

Limiting mental health care to individual therapy alone is reductionist. After all, mental health depends on basic conditions of dignity. Ignoring this makes us part of the problem and not the solution, as it puts us at risk of reproducing the violence, silencing, and oppression that is often directly related to the production of distress.

Psychological suffering expresses a combination of factors. Take a look at contemporary forms of distress, for instance: narcissistic and image disorders (including eating disorders), which are related to the proliferation of social media and the role one’s image acquired in this context; or disorders that reflect a social structure that values production and consumption, but in which work relationships are increasingly degraded, such as burnout. We must reflect beyond individual attributes and perceive the structures that produce distress. After all, each individual’s story takes place in a greater historical and cultural context. The idea of ​​a self-sufficient individual who is solely responsible for their success and failure is a historical construction that is deeply tied in with the way we (neglect) care.

The fight for mental health takes place on many fronts, which can (and should) be articulated together.