Emotional regulation in the field of primary care

Abstract

Emotions have an important role in adaptive and maladaptive processes, and people influence over their emotions and how they experience and express them. The most prevalent disorders in clinical practice are anxiety, depressives and somatizations disorders, that is, those related to dysfunctional emotional regulation processes. In this line, deficits in emotional regulation seem to be relevant for the development, maintenance and treatment of different forms of psychopathology. The high prevalence of emotional disorders and the conditions given in primary care settings, indicate that adopting a transdiagnostic approach focused on emotional processes and emotional regulation could improve the quality of life of patients. In order to promote and prevent mental health problems, primary care services, framed in a scope of community care and from a biopsychosocial perspective, should be coordinated with specialized care and with other services such as social and educational services.