Mental Illness

Every time I would come on Vacay's and stay at AI's, workers would asked what I did and when I told them they would stare blankly at me.

I worked with Mentally Ill People and or Addicts.

Obviously I have seen Mentally Ill people here, I'm just wondering are there ANY services really at all for them?

The Dominicans I run into just say we drink and then we are fine but I haven't talked to people in bigger Cities about it.
 

Tamborista

hasta la tambora
Apr 4, 2005
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Obviously I have seen Mentally Ill people here, I'm just wondering are there ANY services really at all for them?

Just take a peak at the recent dr1 Off Topic threads, I believe this is some sort of therapy for mentally disturbed individuals that are not able to function in society.
 

dv8

Gold
Sep 27, 2006
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a cousin of miesposo is a psychologist in SD, he works with addicts mainly, but in his workplace there are several other specialist who deal with all sort of issues. i understand they all charge lots of money... so definitely there are specialist who deal with mental illnesses, but this kind of help may not be available for the poor.

i saw an article last year about the state of public psychiatric hospital: ruined, run down, patients on the floor, really horrible place. lots of mentally ill people never see any professional help: they are locked at home, sometimes tied up. we sold all kinds of strong psycho meds in the pharmacy and they sold well. sometimes we'd have an emergency when clearly distressed family member would come in to buy injections saying the sick relative was aggressive and required several people to hold him down and tie up like a holiday ham in order to have him immobilized.

young children with obvious mental problems (born with down syndrome or any of the disease affecting both physical and mental state) are often abandoned. there is a house for sick children like this in POP, run by nuns. if you want i can hook you up with them, they always look for volunteers.

i often see visibly mentally ill people on the streets of POP. there are few who always seem to hang around the hospital. it is possible they were abandoned or run away. maybe they have family somewhere in DR who is looking for them or think they are dead.
 

KateP

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May 28, 2004
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Regarding addictions, check out Hogar Crea. A friend of a friend is currently in their Bani installations and says that although it's obviously not a luxury hotel, it's not bad and he's getting the help he needs. Until I heard about this person's situation, I didn't even know places like this existed in the DR.
 

Tamborista

hasta la tambora
Apr 4, 2005
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Actually that is what reminded me to ask the question and I'm not joking...

At least he stays in his house 22 hours a day and haunts the "Cyber World" not real people.
The sad part is he does not recognize his psychosis.
 
a cousin of miesposo is a psychologist in SD, he works with addicts mainly, but in his workplace there are several other specialist who deal with all sort of issues. i understand they all charge lots of money... so definitely there are specialist who deal with mental illnesses, but this kind of help may not be available for the poor.

i saw an article last year about the state of public psychiatric hospital: ruined, run down, patients on the floor, really horrible place. lots of mentally ill people never see any professional help: they are locked at home, sometimes tied up. we sold all kinds of strong psycho meds in the pharmacy and they sold well. sometimes we'd have an emergency when clearly distressed family member would come in to buy injections saying the sick relative was aggressive and required several people to hold him down and tie up like a holiday ham in order to have him immobilized.

young children with obvious mental problems (born with down syndrome or any of the disease affecting both physical and mental state) are often abandoned. there is a house for sick children like this in POP, run by nuns. if you want i can hook you up with them, they always look for volunteers.

That's great of your spouses Cousin! Very good to know!

Ya I've read as many articles as I could find on the subject and suspected most Mentally Ill people are kept at home, that is what it said in one of the articles.

Another Article said that Dr's get a 2 day course on the Subject. That isn't a lot!!!!

We have a guy who walks the streets up and down in the Sabaneta/Las Canas Area and he seems happy enough, someone obviously takes care of him.
 

dv8

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Sep 27, 2006
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another problem is that many insurances will not cover medicine for mental illness. some, of course, are cheap, others can cost over 100 pesos per pill. there is a company i call "happy lab", i cannot remember real name, they make a variety of really low priced meds, mainly for schizophrenia and similar issues. i buy amitriptyline for my migraines and it costs about 10 pesos a pill.
 

Chip

Platinum
Jul 25, 2007
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Santiago
Discrediting people because they are non conformers is nothing new. However, when conformity is determined by a handful of busy bodies who have a simple majority we are in trouble as a society. One would expect that we would have learned our lesson by now, I suppose not.
 
another problem is that many insurances will not cover medicine for mental illness. some, of course, are cheap, others can cost over 100 pesos per pill. there is a company i call "happy lab", i cannot remember real name, they make a variety of really low priced meds, mainly for schizophrenia and similar issues. i buy amitriptyline for my migraines and it costs about 10 pesos a pill.

Oh if you remember can you let me know.

Prozac I know is here but do you know about Wellbutrin or Cipralex?
I haven't asked pharmacies yet b/c mostly I am avoiding it. I have enough till i go back to Canada in Aug but will need to Eventually buy my meds here.
 

dv8

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Sep 27, 2006
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i called the pharmacy, this lab is called MEDIFARMA. they are located in SD and make anything from haloperidol to risperidone.

wellbutrin is available here, costs something like 2000 pesos a box. i cannot remember seeing cipralex, but there is generic escitalopram.
 
i called the pharmacy, this lab is called MEDIFARMA. they are located in SD and make anything from haloperidol to risperidone.

wellbutrin is available here, costs something like 2000 pesos a box. i cannot remember seeing cipralex, but there is generic escitalopram.

Awesome! Thank you very much!
I think I checked a year before I moved about it and do know the meds are in this Country, just have been avoiding looking around for it. :)
 

B J

New member
Feb 20, 2013
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Every time I would come on Vacay's and stay at AI's, workers would asked what I did and when I told them they would stare blankly at me.

I worked with Mentally Ill People and or Addicts.

Obviously I have seen Mentally Ill people here, I'm just wondering are there ANY services really at all for them?

The Dominicans I run into just say we drink and then we are fine but I haven't talked to people in bigger Cities about it.

There is a person they call little jeepeta in Cabarete. Yes he believes he is a 'jeep' i have sighted him on numerous occasions reverse parking 'himself', 'changing gears' and 'driving in traffic'......... sadly he is NOT SEATED IN A JEEP... The only jeep that exists is the one in his mind. He is sadly living in a state of psychosis. To me he is either too poor to affords the expensive anti-psychotic drugs, or as is typical around the world unable to remain compliant with his medication regiment. As a result his mental state has clearly decompensated.
 

Chip

Platinum
Jul 25, 2007
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Santiago
The DR is a poor country with very little free services available to it's citizens. Unfortunately the poorest are the most to suffer. Generally, it is not common to see very mentally disabled here on the streets alone because someone generally will be willing to take them in as Dominicans are like that. Nonetheless, there will always be cases of severly mentally ill roaming the streets here, whether self imposed or otherwise. From what I've seen if they aren't belligerent the locals give them food, money, etc. My advice is to help them out if you can with a sincere smile and a "Dios le bendigo hermano".
 

dv8

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Sep 27, 2006
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it is very difficult to maintain medical regime for mental illness. one takes pills, feels better, stops taking pills or, if under family control, refuses to take them spitting them out and hiding. after a brief period of relative normalcy inevitably comes the fall.

mental disease is sometimes seen as shameful here. hence the sick relatives being locked up, often not even let outside of their room. having mental problems carries social stigma. sometimes our clients would buy some of the "happy pills" and tell me "it's for my son/primo/aunt".
 

Tom F.

Bronze
Jan 1, 2002
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The phrase for referring to the mentally ill in the past used to be "el 28" because the mentally insane were housed somewhere at the 28th kilometer on the main highway between the Capital and Santiago. As Chip mentions, people and family make sure those in the street get fed somehow. There is a homeless type guy running around San Francisco de Macoris asking people for money all day. The word is he went to Nueva York, became an addict of some sort, got deported and is obvious by his appearance has continued feeding his addiction. People mostly ignore him and he knows where the line is before the police might get involved. There is another street type person in the campo where I stay. He sleeps somewhere, takes baths once a week and gets fed everyday. He doesn't talk to anyone and stands off to the side of whatever group of people are around. He is also mostly ignored. I try to engage the guy in conversation to see what is on his mind but usually someone starts explaining to me what the deal is and he is loco. This appears to be another case of addiction. Much like the US, I would suspect many of the issues related to mental illness end up in the criminal justice system.