Guatemala: National Strategy on Mental Health

A workshop on the National Strategy on Mental Health was held in  Guatemala City, on December 8-9, 2010. Rigoberto Rivera, National Mental Health Coordinator, referred to the current situation of the Strategy, and Víctor López to the National Mental Health Survey. Both presentations led to a discussion about the mental health care context in the country. 

The experiences of the departments of Sololá and Petén, and of the child and adolescent care unit of the San Juan de Dios Hospital, the strongest both in their community approach and in planning, were also presented. These experiences, along with those of the Roosevelt Hospital and Cuilapa, can be the basis for the development of the community mental health care model in Guatemala.

PAHO/WHO consultants, Cecilia Escobar and Victor Aparicio, presented PAHO Strategy and plan of action on mental health and WHO mhGAP (mental health Gap Action Programme). During the Workshop, groups discussed two conditions - out of the eight included in the  mhGAP - which are considered a priority in the country: depression and developmental and behavioral disorders in childhood.