More than 262 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia from theCommunity Mental Health Centers of Wiñay (Comas), Asiri (Carabayllo) and CSMC of Carabayllo are beneficiaries of the F20 Project, a strategy developed by the mental health program of Socios En Salud.
Over 40% of the countries in the world lack systematic mental health policies. According to the WHO-AIMS Report published by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) on mental health systems in Latin America and the Caribbean, in South America, only Uruguay (12.5%) has a mental health budget greater than 5%; and in Central America, Mexico and the Latin Caribbean no country has one.
In Peru, according to the latest epidemiological study of mental health published by the National Institute of Mental Health in 2019, significant differences are found between health facilities in the identification of mental disorder and consequent access to care. The range in which they neither identify nor facilitate access ranges from 73.2% to 93.3%.
Thus, Partners In Health seeks to strengthen the public system’s attention to mental health problems, through community strategies designed for emotional, physical, mental and social accompaniment, involving community health agents (ACS), health professionals and family members, focused on people with chronic mental disorders and their “rehabilitation” process, especially users with schizophrenia. This community intervention strategy is known as the F20 Project.
The Community Mental Health Center (CSMC) of Carabayllo, is one of the first health facilities implemented with this strategy. This mental health center was able to raise awareness and establish a comprehensive and uninterrupted follow-up of its users. Even with the limitations generated by the Covid-19 pandemic, constant accompaniment was implemented virtually through phone calls and video calls to ensure adherence to treatment with psychological and psychiatric appointments, medication intake and family support.
Also, CSMC Asiri (Carabayllo) and CSMC Wiñay (Comas) joined this initiative due to the increase of users with schizophrenia thanks to the active search in charge of the community health agents (ACS), who, in coordination with the CSMCs, visit patients weekly and receive constant training in emotional support and self-care sessions, activities aimed at developing personal skills and competencies.
On the other hand, the psychologists responsible for the project are in charge of intervening, supervising and providing follow-up and emotional support to the ACSs.
“It is a very significant accompaniment, involving different dimensions: personal, family, social and physical. This weekly follow-up is carried out to users of different CSMCs that allows us to evidence a favorable and healthy evolution, as users are effectively involved in the process of their “rehabilitation” and their adherence to treatment in an adequate and productive manner,” added Roli Marín, psychologist of Project F20.
We are aware of how rewarding it is to help a loved one; however, it is important for everyone to take care of their own physical and mental health. Faced with this, the mental health program has developed strategies for the benefit of caregivers of people with chronic mental disorders, such as Mutual Aid Groups (GAM), spaces to share experiences and emotions in order to achieve adherence to the patient’s treatment.
“The important thing is to keep going and never stop fighting, although the road may seem difficult it is not impossible. I feel that I am recovering little by little,” stated, a user of the F20 project of Socios En Salud’s Mental Health program.
At Socios En Saludwe believe that restoring the dignity of the most vulnerable is the way to restore humanity for all. Therefore, we reaffirm our commitment to achieving social justice.