Chile, the regional example that faces its mental health crisis without complexes

A president who speaks openly about his tobsessive compulsive disorder (TOC), the largest prevention program for suicide of Latin America or the unprecedented protocol of a well-known mall: Chili takes the regional lead and faces its crisis of self without complexes and in a transversal mannermental avalanche.

It is estimated that one in four Chileans suffers from mental health problems, among them the president Gabriel Boric, who has suffered from OCD since adolescence and in 2018 surprised by announcing that he had to enter two weeks to treat it.

The former student leader has made the fight against stigma one of his flags, approving laws such as the one that guarantees the inclusion of people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and has promised “the biggest investment in 30 years” in mental health.

“For too long it has been a taboo subject that has contributed to discrimination and isolation,” recently said at a World Health Organization (WHO) forum.

“Unique moment of consciousness”

Chile, according to the WHO, is one of the countries in the region where the prevalence of mental illness is highest, a situation that has increased with the pandemic, especially among young people. According to the Ministry of Health, only a fifth have access to regular treatment.

For Isabel Puga, president of the College of Psychologists, Chile has some “peculiarities” that distinguish it from the region and increase the “risk” of the population to suffer disorders, such as their idiosyncrasy or their socioeconomic model.

“We are not so good at parties, we are more introverted (…) Nobody talks to anyone in an elevator or on the subway. We are always very serious”he claimed.

Added to this, he pointed out, are the numerous environmental catastrophes experienced throughout history and the neoliberal model installed during the dictatorship (1973-1990), which promoted the “individuality” and the “feeling of loneliness”

Despite this, for Vania Martínez, an academic at the University of Chile and director of the Núcleo Milenio Imhay, Chile “It is in a unique moment of transversal awareness”which explains the flood of initiatives in favor of mental health.

“There has been a big change and it is not just because of the pandemic. Already in the social outbreak of 2019, the idea of ​​taking care of mental health was installed ”indicated.

An October Ipsos poll placed Chile among the countries most concerned about this issue in the world, only after Sweden.

“People are much more open and even presume to go to the psychologist and do therapy, something unthinkable years ago,” Puga added.

“Stay”

In a large house in Santiago, eight psychologists attend the chat “Stay”the largest suicide prevention program in Latin America, which has a budget of 2 million dollars and was launched in April by the Metropolitan Regional Government.

Chile is the sixth country in the region with the highest suicide rate (9 per 100,000 inhabitants), far exceeding the regional average (6.2), according to the WHO. The figure suffered a slight decrease during the pandemic, but rebounded again after the lockdowns and is now at 2019 levels.

However, for Consuelo Estadella, coordinator of the project and member of the ProCultura Foundation, the most worrying thing is the large increase in failed attempts: “It is estimated that for every person who commits suicide, 20 attempt it (…) Women try more, but the rates in men are higher because they ask for less help”he pointed.

“Stay” It was presented months after the Ministry of Health launched a free phone against suicide and the most iconic shopping center in the capital installed panels on its escalators and a special protocol among its security personnel.

“Insufficient budget”

Boric though “It has brought the issue even more to the fore”from the College of Psychologists recall that Chile already broke regional barriers in 2000, when the Government of the social democrat Ricardo Lagos implemented the National Plan for Mental Health and Psychiatry.

Puga, who participated in its preparation, reported that the plan was influenced by Canada and the United Kingdom and that, in general, it has been respected by almost all subsequent governments: “The current model is quite good, it only has one drawback: the budget”he warned.

Of all the health items in Chile, 2.4% currently goes to mental health, which is below the global median (2.8%) and spending in high-income countries (5.1%), according to the WHO.

“If we compare ourselves with other countries in the region, we have indeed made progress. We have guaranteed pathologies in the public system, psychologists in primary care and in schools, but it is insufficient”Martinez listed.

“We have to advance not only in quantity, but in quality”he concluded.

Source: EFE