The undersecretary of Public Health, José Luis Satdjian, and the coordinator of Unicef Uruguay programs, Michel Guinand, also participated in the activity carried out on Monday 26 in the assembly hall of the Executive Tower.
In dialogue with the Presidential Communication, Paullier pointed out that the document prepared between the INJU, the Ministry of Public Health and Unicef presents actions to address the issue of mental health in adolescents and young people in Uruguay. The goal is to generate more information “with a clear roadmap” to focus public policy guidelines on the matter, she said. She indicated that the conclusions provided by experts allow us to corroborate the evidence and understand the causes that affect the mental health of young people.
In addition, he argued that the document complements the development of the campaign promoted by the INJU in conjunction with government agencies “Neither silence nor taboo”, to provide tools to young people and teachers. “We are convinced that as a country we have a huge challenge on this issue,” he said.
In this regard, he reported that two and a half months after the campaign was implemented, more than 8,000 people throughout the country participated in workshops and training sessions. “That is the way, to understand the phenomenon, but also to act accordingly”, he considered.
In addition, he indicated that the report disseminates significant data on the incidence of harassment (bullying), discrimination and socioeconomic levels in the situation of emotional well-being of adolescents. He explained that, based on the results, it is possible to reach an approximation of the consequences and causes to generate preventive actions. “One of the keys is to create spaces that involve adolescents, so that they are protagonists of their actions and also generate devices in educational institutions,” she mentioned.
Meanwhile, Satdjian affirmed that the presentation of the document adds to the efforts so that the necessary attention can reach more and more places. “To make decisions, you always have to have information, because what is not measured will not improve,” he said, and highlighted the work with people who need containment, support and medical care.
The situation report addresses several topics with information regarding the main mental health problems in adolescents and young people, data on attempted self-elimination and suicide, mental health policies in Uruguay, proposals and recommendations.
