- The National Commission on Mental Health and Addictions merges the powers of the three governing bodies in the matter.
- It is a decentralized administrative body of the Ministry of Health, with autonomy. technical, operational and administrative.
- Within its activities, it will be in charge of developing the policy, strategies, and programs for the promotion, prevention, and care of mental health problems and disorders, as well as addiction to alcohol, tobacco, nicotine, and any other substance that may cause harm. to health.
With the aim of promoting the health and comprehensive well-being of the population, the decree creating the National Commission on Mental Health and Addictions was published in the Official Gazette of the Federation (DOF). Based on what has been disclosed, it will be a decentralized administrative body of the Ministry of Health (SSa).
The new head of mental health in Mexico
In this sense, it is necessary to remember that from this 2023 the Undersecretary of Health, Hugo López-Gatell, was named the czar of mental health. Since he has held this position, he has a special section every Tuesday in the morning conference that takes place at the National Palace. Among his new functions is to report on the current panorama of addictions in Mexico.
Today we are talking about highly addictive inhalants that are even found in commonly used products. They are the second substance to start the consumption of other drugs. 84% of consumers tried them before they were 19 years old. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/cwvHmKU3HM
— Hugo López-Gatell Ramírez (@HLGatell) May 23, 2023
Based on the above, one of his proposals was the creation of the first National Commission on Mental Health and Addictions. Now it is a reality and it was born to merge the attributions, faculties and the work carried out up to now in the three governing bodies in the matter: the Technical Secretariat of the National Mental Health Council (STConsame), the Psychiatric Care Services (SAP) and the National Commission against Addictions (Conadic).
Main functions in charge
The new commission will have among its activities to develop the policy, strategies and programs for the promotion, prevention and care of mental health problems and disorders, as well as addiction to alcohol, tobacco, nicotine and any other substance that may cause harm to health.
It will also coordinate the provision of services provided at the first level of care, in general and psychiatric hospitals, through the Integrated Network of Mental Health and Addiction Services, as well as the Life Line.
It will be up to you to operate the Mexican Observatory of Mental Health and Addictions that collects, analyzes and interprets information on mental health and consumption of psychoactive substances, in order to obtain reliable national and state diagnoses for decision making.
The creation of the commission is due to a paradigm shift, in which mental health and the prevention of addictions are priorities in health policy from the modifications to the General Health Law on the matter, published on May 16, 2022 in the DOF.
Meets the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) described on page 10 of the World Report on Mental Health, about the creation of mental health services in general hospitals; integration of mental health in primary health care; creation of non-formal community mental health services; promotion of self-care and promotion of intersectoral collaboration.
The National Commission on Mental Health and Addictions it integrates the coordinated work of STConsame, SAP and Conadic, which has involved training workers in the Health sector in mental health and addiction skills; the operation of the National Program for the Prevention of Suicide; the establishment of mental health care areas in 126 general hospitals; the coordination of the National Strategy for the Prevention of Addictions “Together for Peace”, as well as the operation of the different attention centers in the country.
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