The Spanish Ministerio de Sanidad launched the campaign “Acércate, escucha, acompaña… repara” on 7 September 2026. Its aim is to reduce stigma surrounding psychosocial disability and encourage practical everyday support. At its heart is a “Manual de reparación”, an accessible guide for family members, close friends and neighbours, offering concrete suggestions on how to reach out, listen actively and provide respectful support.
According to the Ministry, the aim is explicitly not to train laypeople as professionals. The central idea is to strengthen social relationships and break down exclusion when withdrawal and isolation have resulted from stigma. In this context, “repair” does not mean a medical cure, but the restoration of bonds and participation. The announcement was made via La Moncloa on 4 November 2026.
The Ministry cites data from IMSERSOas a reference point: as at 31 December 2024 , 793,220 people were recorded as having a disability rating of at least 33 per cent due to impairments of the nervous system or mental functioning. This broad category includes neurological conditions as well as mental disorders, and is therefore larger than the group of people with psychosocial disabilities. The Ministry stresses that this distinction is essential to understanding the campaign correctly.
According to the announcement, the initiative was prepared by the Office of the Commissioner for Mental Health . Alongside the manual, audiovisual materials are planned, showing everyday situations and offering guidance on respectful interaction. The content is to be distributed through the Ministry’s institutional channels and in partnership with autonomous communities.
Initial responses from professional circles range from support to calls for awareness-raising to be paired with structural measures. The emphasis on relationships and participation in people’s immediate surroundings has been welcomed. At the same time, care-sector representatives point to the need for sustainably funded community-based services, accessible psychosocial counselling and reliable coordination between health services, social services and local authorities. The Ministry points to the public availability of the materials and its openness to further collaboration; however, the announcement leaves timelines and additional resources for local implementation unspecified.
The campaign thus positions itself as an accessible complement to clinical services. Its success will depend on whether the attitudes and behaviours it proposes take hold in families, workplaces, schools and neighbourhoods—and whether regional service networks are strengthened at the same time.
Editor: Phillipe Schmidt-Araguin (Article created with AI assistance).