The opening session was chaired by José A. Córdoba, Secretary of Health of Mexico; Enrique Belfort, outgoing President of APAL; and Enrique Camarena, APAL’s President-elect. Also present were other Mexican national authorities and from the State of Jalisco.

The workshop on “Human rights and fundamental freedoms of persons with mental disabilities in the prevention of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment” was held in the city of San Luis Potosi on August 11 and 12. It was organized by the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) of Mexico. Participants analyzed the current situation of mental health care in the country and its relation to the protection of human rights. Gabriel Campillo and Carlos Sotelo from the Psychiatric Care Services of the Ministry of Health, PAHO-WHO advisors Javier Vasquez (HHRR) and Victor Aparicio (Mental Health), the National Director of the Mechanism Against Torture (CDNH), Enrique Borja, and Miguel Angel Cardiel, participated as speakers.

Guatemala: Mental Health Day Celebration 

On October 19, Guatemala held a workshop on “Promoting Welfare: Mental Health and Chronic Physical Illnesses” to celebrate Mental Health Day 2010. The activity was organized by the Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance, coordinated by the National Mental Health Program, with the support of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO-WHO), ECAP (Community Studies and Psychosocial Action Team), the Trauma and Global Health Program of the Douglas Institute and McGill University, Canada, and the Biomedical, Psychosocial and Health Sciences research centers at the University of San Carlos de Guatemala.

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The National Hospital Dr. Jose Antonio Saldaña of San Salvador has recently opened five beds for inpatient mental health problems, which made it the first hospital in the country to offer this service. The Hospital also provides outpatient care, psychiatry referral and response to mental health emergencies.

Jamaica: Training in stress management and crisis (UNDSS)

Organized by the United Nations Department of Safety and Security, Critical Incident Stress Management Unit - UNDSS / CISMU, a training course for counselors in stress management and crisis took place in Ocho Ríos, Jamaica, on 8-12 November.

The aim of this course, coordinated by CISMU’s Regional Advisor on Stress, Magalie Hurez, was to train counselors in stress and emergency crisis management in the Region of the Americas in order to provide adequate coverage for professionals of the United Nations system.

The initial workshop of the technical cooperation project between El Salvador, Guatemala and Cuba on "Decentralization: to incorporate the mental health component in general hospitals” was held in San Salvador on 15-16 November. The workshop was opened by Health Minister María Isabel Rodríguez and PAHO’s representative, José Ruales.

During the event, participants analyzed each country’s situation as well as training of specialists in psychiatry within the general hospital’s mental health component. The delegations of Cuba and Guatemala went to National Hospital Dr. Jose Antonio Saldaña, where the first mental health unit in the country has just been installed. They also visited the Carousel of Happiness, a program developed by the country’s mental health area to support children at risk and disasters.

Ciudad de David, Panamá: Training in mental health and humanitarian emergencies

On 22-23 November, the Institutional Health System in Emergencies and Disasters of the Ministry of Health (SISED-MINSA) organized a workshop on “Mental health and humanitarian emergency,” with the purpose of strengthening the  mental health and psychosocial response of the teams of SISED, MINSA, SINAPROC (Sistema Nacional de Protección Civil), CSS (Caja del Seguro Social) and the Firemen from Panama’s four western health regions (Chiriqui, Veraguas, Bocas del Toro y Ngöbe-Bugle) during humanitarian emergencies.

The workshop was coordinated by the Director of SISED, Rogelio Muñoz, and Delia de Ycaza. The Pan American Health Organization offered technical support through the participation of the Subregional Adviser on Mental Health, Victor Aparicio, and also provided the IASC Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings and PAHO’s Handbook on mental health in disaster and emergency situations (only in Spanish).

Santo Domingo: Workshop on psychosocial rehabilitation

"Psychosocial rehabilitation in the community mental health network”, the initial workshop of the technical cooperation project between Panama and the Dominican Republic, was held in Santo Domingo on 1-2 December. Panama was represented by Marcel Penna, Coordinator of the National Mental Health Program of the Ministry of Health and Elvia D'Orcy from the National Institute on Mental Health (INSAM). The delegation of the Dominican Republic was led by José Mieses, National Director of Mental Health at the Department of Public Health (SESPAS). The workshop discussed the status of psychosocial rehabilitation in each country as well as the training of nurses specialized in the subject. Local experiences were presented. The Panamanian delegation also visited Gualey’s community services, the mental health services of the Moscoso Puello Hospital and the day hospital located there.

El Salvador: Suicide Prevention World Day

On the occasion of Suicide Prevention World Day, held on 10 September,  El Salvador's health authorities emphasized the importance of this public health problem. Given the seriousness of the situation, next year, the Ministry of Health will open a call center to serve all those who suffer from depressive disorders or the development of a suicide plan has been detected. To improve mental health care assistance, five mental health clinics will also be opened.

Central America and the Dominican Republic: Creation of a Subregional Committee on Suicide Prevention

A Subregional Committee for the development of a subregional plan for suicide prevention and for the creation of a subregional observatory of suicidal behavior has just been established. The committee is composed of professionals designated by each country. Its members are: Claudina Cayetano (Belize), Marco Díaz Alvarado (Costa Rica), Felix Evangelista  (El Salvador), Nora Alburez Ninette Valenzuela Von Ahn (Guatemala), Guillermo Gosebruch (Nicaragua), Gonzalo González (Panama), y Anny Castillo (Dominican Republic). The appointment of a professional from Honduras is still pending. The committee will work with the support of the Center for Population and Health Research (Centro de Investigación en Demografía y Salud -CIDS-) at the Autonomous University of Nicaragua in León and PAHO-WHO.

Central America, Hispanic Caribbean and Mexico: WHO-AIMS update

Significant progress was observed in the implementation of the World Health Organization Assessment Instrument for Mental Health Systems (WHO-AIMS) in the countries of the Subregion. Cuba has completed its evaluation and will soon publish its country report. Mexico has already made the collection of data in all 32 states and is now doing the final processing and analysis. Guatemala and  El Salvador have completed data collection of their second assessment (both countries did their first assessment in 2005). 

Two new technical cooperation projects (TCP) were approved in the Subregion in October: one between El Salvador, Guatemala and Cuba dedicated to "Decentralization: to incorporate the mental health component in general hospitals", and the other, between the Dominican Republic and Panama, dedicated to “Psychosocial rehabilitation in the community mental health network.”

Haiti: Support for the improvement of psychiatric centers

PAHO is actively working to improve the living conditions of the users of the two inpatient psychiatric facilities in  Haiti (Mars&Kline Centre and Hôpital Defilee de Bedeut). Both hospitals received support for the provision of essential drugs, the improvement of their power generators and infrastructure provision for consultation and accommodation.

New GIP Strategic Document: “Improving psychosocial and mental health care in developing countries”

This new paper developed by the Global Initiative on Psychiatry (GIP) explores the question why mental health is seen as a low priority when it comes to allocating funds within the development agenda, and which strategies result in a less marginal position of mental health on the priority agenda of developmental cooperation.