On the occasion of celebrating this month the 48th anniversary of its foundation, Open house called on the Government to define its policy on the drug use and treatment and to take action to confront what he called the pandemic of mental illnesses that affect society.
“In this year 2022, we see with concern that having passed the most difficult days due to the covid-19 pandemic, our society is not prepared to face the other pandemic, which international organizations such as the WHO and PAHO have warned throughout the world. world: the deterioration of mental health,” said Juan Radhames de la Rosa Hidalgo, executive director Open House.
He questioned the low investment in mental health “historically a shame, which does not even reach 1% of annual investment in health”.
He explained that a society that allows the mental health of its citizens to deteriorate will almost inevitably face consequences, such as depression, anxiety, stress, addictionswhich directly affect social problems such as violence, in its various manifestations.
“As we celebrate our 48th anniversary, we continue to hope that the current authorities will remember that in their government plan on drug matters they told us about promoting a broad national dialogue to establish a position on the questioning of the underlying premises of the current control policy paradigm. international and the need for alternative approaches,” he said.
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He argued that “this is the path of change in public policies on drugs, because in the current paradigm, preventive strategies are still very limited, and care when consumption becomes compulsive would be almost nil if there were no supportive and compassionate efforts from associations without for profit”.
He urged the authorities to adapt policies to curb the consumption of narcotic substances to the new times.
Open House, founded in July 1974, celebrates its 48th anniversary with various activities, including conferences and workshops, such as the one that will be given on the 15th of this month by the Panamanian psychologist Calixta Aronategui on “Prevention and Mental Health”.
Meanwhile, on the 22nd of this month, Dr. Alejandro Uribe, Director of Mental Health, of the MSP, will give the conference “Mental Health in the Dominican Republic: Advances and Challenges” and on the 29th, Miguelina Justo will speak on “How to heal the wounds of abandonment”.
