In the Region of the Americas, mental, neurological, and substance use disorders are among the principal contributors to morbidity, disability, injuries, and premature mortality, and they increase the risk of other health problems. Research provides an indispensable basis for appropriate policy making, planning, and evaluation in the field of mental health. The acquisition of new knowledge through research can help to ensure that every policy or decision is based on hard data and best practices. Furthermore, the availability of relevant, up-to-date data allows us to closely monitor the measures implemented and identify services that can be improved.
This issue of the Pan American Journal of Public Health, focusing on mental health, highlights original research initiatives taking place in diverse contexts and cultures across the Region.
Mental health as a component of universal health
Carissa F. Etienne
Editorial | PDF English-Spanish: https://doi.org/10.26633/RPSP.2018.140 | Published 10 October 2018
Mental health in the Americas: an overview of the treatment gap
Robert Kohn, Ali Ahsan Ali, Victor Puac-Polanco, Chantal Figueroa, Victor López-Soto, Kristen Morgan, Sandra Saldivia, and Benjamín Vicente
Original research | PDF: https://doi.org/10.26633/RPSP.2018.165 | Published 10 October 2018
Epidemiology of suicide among adolescents and young adults in Ecuador
Rebekka Maria F. Gerstner, Ismael Soriano, Antonio Sanhueza, Sonia Caffe and Devora Kestel
Original research | PDF: https://doi.org/10.26633/RPSP.2018.100 | Published 10 October 2018
Functioning of Psychosocial Care centers in four cities in Brazil
Rosana Teresa Onocko-Campos, Carlos Eduardo Menezes Amaral, Benedetto Saraceno, Bruno Diniz Castro de Oliveira, Carlos Alberto dos Santos Treichel and Pedro Gabriel Godinho Delgado
Original research | PDF: https://doi.org/10.26633/RPSP.2018.113 | Published 10 October 2018
Direct medical costs of suicide attempts by patients in Colombia’s Antioquia Mental Hospital
Marisol Medina, Angie Vanessa Velásquez, Oscar Javier Ribero and Natalia Trujillo
Original research | PDF: https://doi.org/10.26633/RPSP.2018.129 | Published 16 October 2018
Analysis of Governance in the Implementation of the Chilean Community Mental Health Model
Alberto Minoletti, Rafael Sepúlveda, Mauricio Gómez, Olga Toro, Matías Irarrázabal, Rodrigo Díaz, Viviana Hernández and Susana Chacón
Special report| PDF: https://doi.org/10.26633/RPSP.2018.131 | Published 10 October 2018
Primary care consultation liaison and the rate of psychiatric hospitalizations: a countrywide study in Chile
Rafael Sepúlveda, Pedro Zitko, Jorge Ramírez, Niina Markkula, and Rubén Alvarado
Original research | PDF: https://doi.org/10.26633/RPSP.2018.138 | Published 10 October 2018
Implementation and operation of protected residences for people with serious mental illness in Iquitos, Peru (2013-2016)
Vanessa Herrera-Lopez, Néstor Aguilar, Jacqueline Valdivieso, Yuri Cutipé and César Arellano
Original research | PDF: https://doi.org/10.26633/RPSP.2018.141 | Published 10 October 2018
Nurses’ perception of preparedness for moving mental health care from psychiatric to general hospitals in Jamaica
Claudine Douglas, Aileen Standard-Goldson, Kenneth James, and Wendel Abel
Original research | PDF: https://doi.org/10.26633/RPSP.2018.158 | Published 10 October 201
Access to mental health care in El Salvador: a case study of progress toward decentralization
Samuel V. Nickels, Mariely Campos Tomasino, Nelson A. Flamenco Arvaiza, and Cynthia A. Hunter
Original research | PDF: https://doi.org/10.26633/RPSP.2018.172 | Published 10 October 2018