In the last few years, we’ve repeated over and over again that mental health has become a real public health concern in Colombia. To date, no long-term solutions have been proposed by mental health professionals, the various governmental organisations and associations, or public and private institutions in order to alleviate the problem.
The issue of mental disorders in children was identified by a Colombian study carried out more than 10 years ago, and there have been no proposals or policies created to that effect. Only 3 postgraduate programmes in child psychiatry on offer in Columbia will not provide an answer to the situation. This is in addition to there being very few health promotion programmes being implemented and programmes preventing childhood disorders. Moreover, the consequences have resulted in extremes where we’ve observed little progress in the development of healthy lifestyles or the acquisition of values that then equip them in their adult lives so they have a greater capacity to adapt, better tolerance to frustrations and better behaviours that enable them to deal with conflict. The situation is so dire that suicidal behaviours are starting to multiply in this intangible group.
Problems from consuming mind-altering substances during childhood and adolescence have led to mental disorders and behavioural changes. It has been noted that the structuring of programmes to tackle this problem is inadequate at every level of healthcare. Our young people have few opportunities to acquire skills including conflict resolution and resilience during their sexual education.
During adulthood, mood swings, problems in adapting, and dysfunctional families and relationships are extremely prevalent, while opportunities to access health services to obtain treatment are precarious.
The elderly population neither has the chance nor the possibility of being able to cope with this crucial and important stage in their lives, where significant losses are meaningful and they require emotional support for the wellbeing of society.
Lastly, many people have spoken about the need to address the issue of post-conflict in Columbia and the numerous consequences caused by more than 50 years of war where, to date, no solid project has been established nationally.
This is a call for collective development and for the many different health, education and other sectors to become involved and provide their skills in addressing what Colombia needs in terms of mental health.
Please cite this article as: Palacio Acosta CA. ¿Cómo contribuir? Rev Colomb Psiquiat. 2018;47:1.
