Mental Health Conversations in Spanish

Mental Health Conversations in Spanish

In this free Medical Spanish lesson you will learn how to have Mental Health Conversations in Spanish with your patients: Conversaciones sobre salud mental.

Here is the Mental Health Conversations in Spanish lesson that I taught to the Facebook group:

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Download the Mental Health in Spanish Notes TODAY

In this free Spanish Medical Lesson you will learn:

  • Relevant vocabulary related to the mental health conversations
  • How to express feelings using the verbs to feel and to be in Spanish
  • Mental health professional names
  • How to explain the depression, anxiety, panic attacks, and post-traumatic stress in Spanish
  • How to talk about suicide, psychotherapy and medical treatments in Spanish
  • Other related lessons about mental health conversation in Spanish

Vocabulario Relevante – Relevant Vocabulary

  • Ansiedad – Anxiety
  • Afrontar – To face
  • Apoyo – support
  • Ataque (de pánico) – Panic Attack
  • Bienestar emocional – Emotional well-being
  • Depresión – Depression
  • Desequilibrio – Imbalance
  • El humor – Mood
    • Buen humor – Good mood
    • Mal humor – Bad mood
  • Estado de ánimo – Mood
  • Enfermedad – Disease
  • Estrés – Stress
  • Miedo – Fear
  • Personas de confianza – Person you trust
    • Amigo(a) – Friend
    • Compañero(a) – Partner
    • Familiar / pariente – Relative
  • Trastorno: – Disorder
    • bipolar – Bipolar Disorder
    • de ansiedad – Anxiety Disorder
    • de pánico – Panic Disorder
    • de personalidad – Personality Disorder
    • depresivo – Depressive Disorder
    • emocional – Emotional Disorder
  • Trauma / experiencia traumática – Trauma / Traumatic Experience

Unos sentimientos con sentirse o estar – Feelings with To Feel and To Be

  • ¿Se siente…? – Do you feel…?
  • ¿Está…? – Are you…?
  • Me siento… – I feel…
  • Estoy… – I am…
    • Aislado(a) – Isolated
    • Amenazado(a) – Threatened
    • Ansioso(a) – Anxious
    • Cansado(a) – Tired
    • Confundido(a) – Confused
    • Débil – Weak
    • Enojado(a) – Angry
    • Frustrado(a) – Frustrated
    • Inseguro(a) – Insecure
    • Nervioso(a) – Nervous
    • Solitario(a) – Lonely
    • Triste – Sad

Useful Vocabulary for Mental Health Conversations in Spanish

Profesionales de salud mental – Mental Health Professionals

SpanishEnglish
El (la) Consejero (a) The Counselor
El (la) Doctor (a) The Doctor
El (la) Médico (a) de cabecera The General Practice Doctor
El (la) Proveedor (a) de atención primaria The Primary Care Provider
El (la) Neurólogo (a) The Neurologist
El (la) Psicólogo (a) The Psychologist
El/La Psiquiatra The Psychiatrist
El/La Terapeuta The Therapist
El (la) Trabajador (a) social The Social Worker

Explicando la depresión – Explaining Depression

Es posible que tiene depresión si / It’s possible you have depression if:

SpanishEnglish
Tiene un estado de ánimo bajo la mayoría del día You have a low mood most of the day
Se siente cansado o le falta energía casi todos los días You feel tired or you lack energy almost every day
Se siente culpable, inútil, despreciado You feel guilty, worthless, unloved
Le cuesta concentrar, recordar detalles, tomar decisiones It’s difficult for you to concentrate, remember details, make decisions
No puede dormir o duerme demasiado casi todos los días You can’t sleep or sleep too much most days
Ya no le interesan las actividades que antes le gustaban You are no longer interested in the activities you liked before
Piensa mucho en la muerte o el suicidio You think a lot about death or suicide
Se siente inquieto e irritable You feel restless and irritable
Siente un vacío dentro de sí mismo You feel emptiness inside
Tiene dolores o problemas digestivos que no se mejoran You have pain or digestive problems that do not get better

Explicando la ansiedad – Explaining Anxiety

Credits: Photo by Joel Overbeck

La ansiedad es un sentimiento natural. Es la reacción que su cuerpo tiene cuando siente estrés, miedo y aprensión sobre algo.
Anxiety is a natural feeling. It is the reaction that your body has when you feel stress, fear, and apprehension about something.

Cuando tiene ansiedad, siente: / When you have anxiety, you feel:

  • Frecuencia cardíaca elevada – elevated heart rate
  • Respiraciones rápidas – Fast breathing
  • Inquietud – Restlessness
  • Dificultad para concentrar – Difficulty concentrating
  • Dificultad para dormirse – Difficulty falling asleep

Ansiedad normal es pasajera – va y viene pero no interfiere con su vida diaria.
Normal anxiety is temporary – it comes and goes but does not interfere with your daily life.

Si usted se siente ansioso la mayoría del tiempo, y le cuesta realizar sus responsabilidades diarias, es posible que tenga un trastorno de ansiedad
If you feel anxious most of the time, and it’s difficult for you to do your daily responsibilities, you may have an anxiety disorder.

Ataques de pánico – Panic Attacks

Ataques de pánico son una ansiedad muy intensa o exagerada para la situación actual. Puede ser repentino y sin explicación.
A panic attack is very intense or exaggerated anxiety for the current situation. It can be sudden and without explanation.

SpanishEnglish
Ud siente:You feel:
Palpitaciones Palpitations
Dolor de pechoChest pain
Falta de aireShortness of breath
Pecho apretadoTight chest
Que se ahogaThat ou are drowing
Que se va a morirThat you are going to die
Mareo Dizziness
NáuseaNausea
Sudores o escalofríosSweating or chills
TembloresShakiness

Explicando el estrés postraumático – Explaining Posttraumatic Stress

Credits: Photo by Lily Banse 

El estrés postraumático puede ocurrir si usted pasa por una experiencia violenta o si usted observa una experiencia violenta.
Posttraumatic stress can occur if you go through a violent experience or if you observe a violent experience.

SpanishEnglish
Es común padecer el estrés postraumático después de: It is common to suffer from posttraumatic stress after:
Combate militarMilitary combat
Terrorismo Terrorism
Desastres naturalesNatural disasters
Accidentes vehiculares Vehicle accidents
Ataques personales como: un asalto o violaciónPersonal attacks such as: an assault or rape
Resulta en: Dificultad para dormir, Pesadillas y Recuerdos repentinos que interfieren con su vida diaria (trabajo, relaciones, etc) It results in: Difficulty sleeping, nightmares and flashbacks that interfere with your daily life (work, relationships, etc)

Conversando sobre el suicidio – Talking About Suicide

SpanishEnglish
¿Piensa en lastimarse/dañarse/herirse? Do you think about hurting yourself?
¿Piensa en lastimar a otra persona? Think about hurting another person?
¿Piensa en quitarse la vida (suicidarse)? Do you think about taking your own life (committing suicide)?
¿Tiene un plan? / ¿Cómo lo haría? Do you have a plan? / How would I do it?
¿Alguna vez ha intentado quitarse la vida (lastimarse, lastimar a otra persona)? Have you ever tried to take your own life (hurt yourself, hurt another person)?
¿Qué pasó después? What happened after?

Explicando la psicoterapia – Explaining the Psychotherapy

Credits: Photo by Toa Heftiba 

La psicoterapia también se llama terapia verbal o conversacional.
Psychotherapy is also called verbal or conversational therapy.

Su terapeuta (psicólogo, consejero) es una persona de confianza quien le ayuda eliminar (o por lo menos controlar) los síntomas para que pueda funcionar mejor y sentirse mejor.
Your therapist (psychologist, counselor) is a trusted person who helps you eliminate (or at least to control) the symptoms so that you can function better and feel better.

SpanishEnglish
La psicoterapia es muy eficaz en ayudarle afrontar las dificultades de la vida diaria como: Psychotherapy is very effective in helping you cope with the difficulties of daily life such as:
Un trastorno A disorder
Una enfermedad An illness
La pérdida de un ser querido The loss of a loved one

Explicando tratamientos – Explaining Treatments

SpanishEnglish
Medicamentos: Medicines:
Antidepresivos: le ayudan controlar los sentimientos de la depresión. Pueden tardar hasta varias semanas en funcionar – así que necesita tomar la medicina sin falta Antidepressants: help you control feelings of depression. It may take up to several weeks to work – so you need to take the medicine without fail
Conductas positivas: Positive behaviors:
Ejercicio: Ejercicio regular ayuda al cuerpo bajar el estrés y bajar los síntomas de depresión. También le puede relajar Exercise: Regular exercise helps the body reduce stress and reduce symptoms of depression. It can also relax you
Comunidad: Sentirse aislado y solitario empeora su depresión y ansiedad. En cambio, una comunidad positiva mejora la salud mental y bienestar emocional. Community: Feeling isolated and lonely makes your depression and anxiety worse. Instead, a positive community improves mental health and emotional well-being.
Dieta: Una dieta alta en: frutas y verduras, granos enteros, proteínas magras y baja en grasa, sodio y azúcar es buena para la salud mental. Diet: A diet high in: fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean and low-fat proteins, sodium and sugar is good for mental health.

Empatía, Normalizando y Asegurar… – Empathy, Normalizing and Assurance

SpanishEnglish
EntiendoI get it
Es difícilIt’s hard
Me parece que usted…I think that you…
Veo que usted…I see that you …
Me alegro I’m glad
Lo sientoI’m sorry
Es comúnIt’s common
Es normalIt’s normal
No hay que tener vergüenzaYou don’t have to be ashamed
Yo estaría _____ tambiénI would be _ too
Ud puede enfrentar estoYou can face this
Ud es capaz de…You are able to …
Hay una solución There is a solution
Muchas personas han sobresalidoMany people have excelled

Other posts in this Mental Health series:

Su tarea – Your Homework

  1. Review the notes & vocabulary
  2. Identify additional points and topics to discuss with patients
    • Let me know if you need help 🙂
  3. Remember to keep it simple if you need to
  4. Ask for help in the comments below
  5. Give it a try with your patients!

Now it’s your turn! I packaged all of this vocabulary in Spanish into some flashcards for you to study.

I packaged all of this into easily downloadable .pdf notes–Get your copy for free today!

Download the Mental Health in Spanish Notes TODAY

Free Medical Spanish Terminology Test

If you want to do a free Medical Spanish terminology test head over to certified Spanish, we are currently building a certification platform where you can practice this test for free. You just have to create a free user account here and start practicing your Español Médico 🙂

Keep up the good work speaking responsible Spanish to your patients! Check out our other books, classes & products to help you learn medical Spanish!

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