Paradox of mental health in Colombia: Between human rights, the predominance of the administrative and the stigma

Abstract

In the last decades a reform to the mental health system is being promoted all over the world towards community-based services integrated to the local health systems. Some Latin-American and Caribbean countries have reported achievements on this issue, but not Colombia. The gaps in the health care are noticeable worldwide as well as the confrontation between human rights and nancial criteria for the provision of health services. A research was carried out based on a historical-hermeneutic approach; 23 mental health professionals took part in it through interviews and discussion groups. A categorial analysis of the gathered information was carried out. It showed how the human rights, nancial cost-effectiveness, service quality and the stigma form the guidelines that drive, in a contradictory way, the mental health services in Colombia. A discussion is carried out on the convenience to develop an ethical and political analysis of the mental health public policies in our country.