The Guyana Mental Health and Wellbeing Conference, organized by the Guyana Ministry of Health, the University of Guyana, Columbia University and other local and international partners, addressed important mental health related issues such as suicide, among others. This Conference took place between November 15 and 18, and included presentations, round tables, training workshops, and consultations, with the participation of national and international experts.
Renato Oliveira e Souza, Head of the PAHO/WHO Mental Health Unit, presented the paper “The situation of mental health and suicide in the Americas region.” , He highlighted that “depressive and anxiety disorders, and suicide represent more than one third of the total years lived with disability and one fifth of the total years of life adjusted for disability in the Americas.” He explained that the high rates of anguish, depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation: around 35% in major depressive disorder and 32% in anxiety disorders in Latin America.Regarding suicide, he explained that “between 2000 and 2019, the regional suicide rate standardized by age increased by 17%.
He stated that the weighted average treatment gap in the Americas for any mental disorder is estimated at 71.2% and groups that include children and adolescents and indigenous populations may experience larger treatment gaps. Likewise, he emphasized that financing for mental health in the countries of the region is insufficient: there is a significant imbalance between the regional mental health burden and public spending (a median of only 3% of total health budgets). . To this I know that the spending allocated to psychiatric hospitals in the Region (a median of 43% of public spending on mental health) is considered inefficient compared to care in the community, including primary care services and general hospitals.
In this context, he highlighted the importance of strengthening the financing of mental health and integrating it into other areas beyond health; include mental health in universal health coverage, emphasizing the promotion of mental health and the prevention of mental disorders; improve the quality of investment, especially in community care.
He highlighted the importance of countries promoting national suicide prevention strategies, policies and plans, given that the COVID-19 pandemic amplified risk factors for mental health and suicide, such as job loss, isolation, barriers to accessing medical care, among others.
The head of the PAHO/WHO Mental Health Unit shared some regional initiatives that are being promoted to promote reconstruction in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic that includes the mental health of the population of the Americas as a priority, such as the PAHO High Level Commission on Mental Health and COVID-19; the Regional Policy to Improve Mental Health; the virtual courses in the PAHO Virtual Campus for Public Health; as well as other initiatives such as Pahola, the digital specialist in health and alcohol consumption, and the “Do Your Part” Campaign to reduce mental health stigma.
Likewise, it committed all the efforts of PAHO/WHO to continue supporting the countries and achieve political positioning and the commitment of all sectors for the promotion of mental health, prevention, and adequate provision of mental health services. In the specific area of suicide prevention, he committed the Organization’s efforts to support the development and implementation of national suicide prevention strategies and plans; capacity building of primary care professionals; messages for the media, as well as the strengthening of information and surveillance on suicide.