A new year has begun, yet the pandemic is carrying on around the world, this time with a fresh wave of infections and complications due to the new Omicron variant.
The population is worn out and weary of living with a constant threat. Even more seriously, healthcare personnel are exhausted. As a result, we are facing population-wide mental health consequences of unimaginable magnitude. Disorders such as anxiety (in all its symptomatic manifestations), depression, adjustment disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, burnout syndrome, suicidal behaviour and outcomes such as suicide have reached such a high prevalence in the world that there is a burgeoning demand for mental healthcare for which no country was prepared.
Developing countries like ours with limitations on healthcare investment do not yet have a mental healthcare system that ensures access and opportunity in the care of affected individuals and communities, management of mental disorders or even attempts at prevention. This raises an opportunity to question many lifestyle factors that have limited well-being and to promote healthy living.
We must face these challenges, and we must face them by working on problem-solving across sectors or even with international alliances.
This year, the Revista Colombiana de Psiquiatría [Colombian Journal of Psychiatry] will continue in our yearslong efforts to disseminate knowledge. We will emphasise COVID-19 and mental disorders related to this disease, without overlooking other topics.
We extend our most heartfelt wishes for good health and a good year to all of our allies.
Please cite this article as: Palacio CA. Continuar en el esfuerzo. Rev Colomb Psiquiat. 2022;51:1.
