It is not only visibly depressed people who endanger their lives, warns William Muñoz, medical chief of the city’s public company for risk management and security control Guayaquil Segura EP, in a report in this newspaper that shows an increase in suicide attempts and suicides. It is a global phenomenon, especially in the last month of the year, a time when joy is mixed with emotional adjustment.

Mental health should be a global concern. In Ecuador, a law has just been approved for the prevention and protection of individuals. The legislature made it viable after ten years of dams.

A small budget would be one of the disadvantages of implementing the mental health law

The law on mental health receives the unanimous approval of the National Assembly

It is positive that mental health is treated as a primary problem in the political field. Within this framework, funds for their care in the country must also be guaranteed.

In the last health budget, 2% was allocated for mental health. The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that anxiety, depression, panic attacks and even addictions have increased with the COVID-19 pandemic. Last October, the organization promoted the slogan “Mental health is a universal human right”.

This should be taken into account to promote measures that promote and protect emotional health. In Guayaquil, ECU911 received an alarming number of calls this month from people diagnosed with suicidal features.

The importance of mental health

There were 47 calls in October, 69 in November, and 44 by Monday, December 18. In the last month of 2022, there were 6 reports.

During the weekend, from December 15 to Sunday, December 17, five calls were received, and in three cases a suicide was committed. It is urgently necessary to pay attention to any behavior that reveals depression or some other mental problem and go to hospitals that must provide exceptional help.

Ensuring mental health is a permanent task and the new law must be an effective instrument in this area of ​​human rights. (OR)