A young woman only saw “the bad parts” of her body. Until she was able to look at herself and tell herself, for example, that that day “I had pretty hair,” she did not stop obsessing over recurring thoughts, such as the need to buy “high-waisted pants” to make her look a little his belly. The body and food; anorexia and bulimia; how they see us and how we see ourselves. When he gained a little self-esteem, he began to see the light. This is what a student from the Polytechnic University of Valencia says in the podcast Magobio, an accessible initiative to talk naturally and directly about mental health.
Those who speak are students who suffer from some type of mental disorder or illness and their recipients are their peers. This is the main uniqueness of the podcast, arising from the realization of the worrying extent of mental illness among young people, especially as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. “Around 30% of my students have anxiety problems, above all; also depression, eating disorders, sexual identity. Maybe I detect it earlier because I live very closely with a person who suffers from a mental illness. We realized that something had to be done especially after confinement. They arrived to class touched,” explains Rebeca Díez, professor of Audiovisual Communication on the Polytechnic campus in Gandia.
She and Marga Cabreras are the coordinators of the project that began last week with the delivery dedicated to Eating Disorder (ED). This Thursday, October 17, the next one will be released that deals with sexual identity. Thus, up to a total of six chapters a week that will also address Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), depression and anxiety, which occupies two installments.
“We have to talk. It is a problem that is not very visible, we are only aware of it when, for example, we see someone who eats and is about to vomit, when they are extremely thin or very obese. Here the students have opened up a lot. They make the problem visible and remove the stigma. The conversation flows, each one telling their experiences. The name of the podcast came from them, which seemed to us, on the other hand, to be a very suitable means to reach them. We were thinking of names as more serious, when the students used that expression that was much closer to them and colloquial, Magobio. And that’s how it stayed. There are many mental health podcasts, but not from students between 18 and 25 years old,” says the professor.
Magobio It starts with the testimonies of Alba, Iria, Mariangela and Axel. Sometimes broken, spontaneous phrases emerge, as corresponds to the flow of a conversation, led by a former student, which also includes deep reflections, some born from the experience and the treatments received. “It’s very easy to become obsessed with your body. As easy as hearing comments from family members like: ‘Wow, why do you fill your plate so much? Why are you wearing those clothes? You can see your body a lot. “You’re a little ham, aren’t you?”, summarizes the podcast in its presentation. Here are some excerpts: “I exercise a lot. And I swell with ultra-processed foods during exams, we always judge”; “You compare yourself to the people around you and in the little things we recognize that there is a problem, that a world is going on. If you eat ice cream you are a bad person”; “You don’t have to prohibit eating anything, you have to teach how to eat”; or “I’m still learning to talk well to myself. And speak well to others. You are not what others see; Your aspirations, goals, are not determined by a physique.”
Mental health podcasts are among the most listened to in Spain, and among them the one by psychiatrist Marian Rojas Estapé stands out, explains Ricardo Villa, executive producer of Magobio and director of the production company responsible for it, The Voice Village. “The difference with Magobio is that it is not an expert speaking to potential patients, but rather it is the young people themselves who speak among themselves and this way it is easier for young people to feel identified. It is a safe space. The students have opened up very generously and the women much more than the men. Among all of them they also chose the themes,” he indicates. Magobio It is accessible on Spotify, Ivoox and other podcast platforms in Spain.
After a selection process, there are 17 students participating in the six installments of Magobio in a very novel initiative in the Spanish university scene. American campuses, for example, are leaders in the use of podcasts as a key tool in their communication strategy, says Villa.
In the case of the work of the Polytechnic of Valencia, an extra has been added to the margin of each chapter in which the psychologist Pau Palau Dellago shares some reflections. In this case, remember that the statistics are “devastating” in TCA and 90% of the patients are women, although in recent years the number of men has been growing. In addition, two university students have collected recommendations for movies, series, books or social accounts on the problems of each podcast.
Like other universities, the Polytechnic has been implementing sen to detect mental health problems for some years. It has a Psychological Care Service, which can be accessed through the Comprehensive Student Support Program. For a few years now, it has been implementing “You may feel identified with some testimonials. If you feel you need support, we encourage you to seek help from professionals. And if you think this content could be useful to someone you know, do not hesitate to share it,” says the academic institution.
Rebeca Díez, promoter of Magobioremembers the difficulties in treating mental illness in Spain. The majority of families cannot afford a psychiatrist and Social Security cannot meet the high demand due to not having enough professionals, which frequently results in a serious economic problem, added to that of mental health.