20% of Dominicans have mental health problems

Jun 18, 2007
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In an interview with Hoy, Dominican Psychiatry Society representatives Angel Almanzar, Fernando Sanchez Martinez, Carlos de los Angeles and Maria Neri Perez said that 20 of every 100 Dominicans suffer from mental health problems. Nevertheless, they said Dominicans have high resilience levels and a capacity for overcoming adversity, which makes them some of the happiest people in the world, as has been recognized internationally.

Dominican Psychiatry Society president Maria Neri Perez said that safety issues like violence, survival struggles, traffic chaos, lack of respect for laws and impunity, and the fact that more than 500,000 young people are neither studying nor working are all social factors that affect Dominicans? mental health.

http://hoy.com.do/psiquiatras-el-20-...ntal-afectada/

Google translation of the complete article:

The Dominican Republic has social factors that make twenty of 100 people have affected their mental health. However, Dominicans have a great capacity to bounce back from adversity, which makes them be among the happiest people in the world.

The issue was discussed yesterday by Dr. Fernando Sanchez Martinez, Carlos de los Angeles, Maria Neri Perez, president of the Dominican Psychiatric Society, and Angel Alm?nzar, director of Mental Health, during a discussion on mental health organized by TODAY.

It addresses what social factors such as insecurity, violence, struggle for survival, having more than 500 thousand young people who neither study nor work, the chaos of traffic, lack of respect for the law and impunity are just some of these components damaging the Dominican.

However, they ensure that the Dominican people has a resilience or rise from adversity impressively and it has been throughout history.


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"Dominicans are Undergoing major psychosocial stressors, including disputes between workers and employers, which threatens the emotional health of citizens," said De los Angeles.

He insisted that these social factors become growth opportunities, the ability of the Dominicans.

Differentiated. Social factors that lead to anxiety and mood disorder are different in each country, says Dr. Perez.

Analyzes that while Dominicans have insecurity, other nations have anxiety about terrorism, risk not having the country.

For his part, Dr. Sanchez Martinez said the mental health of a country depends on the way the family and society as a stratified Dominican develops.

The mental health specialist ensures that the most affected is the majority of the population that does not have housing, food and work.

"Let's get on the stage of a family living in poor housing conditions, no water, girls have to go out and carry water and a large surrounding insecurity. All this has a great impact on the emotional life of the individual, "said Sanchez Martinez.

That generates a high rate of emotional problems, but in the opinion of Dr. Alm?nzar, mental disorders are also present in highly developed societies, such as Japan or the Nordic countries.

Resiliency. Dr. Sanchez Martinez said the Dominican tragedy becomes an event that produces laughter and joy. It is paradoxical.

"The corners and colmadones fill with people in an atmosphere of fun, that people vent to such serious issues as insecurity," insists Martinez Sanchez.

There are a joy and ability to bounce back in the Dominican who makes a happy person, they insist.

Diseases. From the experience of crisis intervention units, the highest incidence of patients arrive with mood disorder.

However, the mood disorder are not only related to hopelessness and poverty, there are also genetic factors that a person will develop even if economic welfare, say the four professional

They insist that the country is among the expected rates of morbidity, ie, is not a shocking figure the percentage of mental health condition.

The adictions. The Dominican Republic has a serious problem of alcoholism and substance abuse, say the doctors Alm?nzar and Sanchez Martinez.
Addictions are a serious public health problem and the principal is alcoholism, says Dr. De los Angeles.

In addition, alcohol is responsible for 90% of traffic accidents. In the case of motorcycle accidents in over 90% of cases are involved alcohol and other substances.

Cocaine use. Professionals say it is very serious allegations that drivers of heavy vehicles use cocaine to stay awake. They call attention to that complaint. Scholars of human behavior analyzed the general and domestic violence, is linked to alcohol.

Psychiatrists say that 80% of crimes involving alcohol abuse, which warrants response of different state actors.

According to Dr. De los Angeles, the human being seeks to take alcohol to leave his normal state and reach a different phase.

Without signal. The lack of coverage by the social security system is the headache of psychiatrists, Neri said Perez.

While Dr. Angel Alm?nzar said the lack of coverage is a serious issue for patients with emotional disorders and other mental disorders.
This includes said Neri Perez, all diseases, alcoholism, additions, schizophrenia and depression.

Only some self-insurance are covered for these diseases, but it is the exception.

There are private initiatives and foundations covered.
The professionals agreed that it is necessary to flow resources for mental health care, in the case of hospitals is free.

Drugs. There is a severe problem of psychoactive substances and combinations are made, today we speak of poly drug-dependence.
Experts say that the use of substances in neighborhoods is scandalous and insist that it is a mental health problem.

Inequality and injustice The biggest problem of Dominican society is experiencing high economic growth rates, there is a fair distribution, it does not translate to the benefit of the population, leading to 10% benefits from 80% of wealth .

Rootlessness. Specialists Sanchez Martinez, Alm?nzar P?rez and De los Angeles, denied that the Dominican is violent, but insist that there are conditions that predispose.

It also generates violence in which 80% of Dominicans do not have access to wealth, which leads to frustration and violence.

Martinez Sanchez says the problem is not to make wealth, the issue is how it is distributed.

He says large population centers came to the big cities, but these were not given the opportunity to insert themselves and develop.

Large cities have been populated in a disorganized, very poor people do not have access to education and its streets they are dead, no social benefit.
Dominicans also have some foreign models and a consumer society that make aspirations do not go in line with the opportunities.
 

mart1n

New member
Jul 13, 2006
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If the doctors are using the DSM-5 to make their judgement and only found 20% that means the Dominicans are the sanest people in the world because using this so called medical text everyone is mentally ill.
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5)
 

Derfish

Gold
Jan 7, 2016
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My son is close to finishing his PHD in psychology and he read to me from a text a couple of years ago that everyone in the USA should be on one drug or another for mental health. He didn't agree with it himself, but was in a text book written by one of his professors.
Der Fish
 

Bronxboy

Well-known member
Jul 11, 2007
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that everyone in the USA should be on one drug or another for mental health.

Drug hmmmmm?

Alcohol
Nicotine
Sex
Illegal drugs
Shopping
Etc.

So, in one form or another, everyone in the USA is on something.

Funny Friday..................
 

bronzeallspice

Live everyday like it's your last
Mar 26, 2012
11,009
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Drug hmmmmm?

Alcohol
Nicotine
Sex
Illegal drugs
Shopping
Etc.

So, in one form or another, everyone in the USA is on something.

Funny Friday..................

Including prescription drugs for depression, anxiety, stress, panic attacks, schizophrenia, bipolar, etc.
 

jstarebel

Silver
Oct 4, 2013
3,330
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Drug hmmmmm?

Alcohol
Nicotine
Sex
Illegal drugs
Shopping
Etc.

So, in one form or another, everyone in the USA is on something.

Funny Friday..................

The heck with funny Friday. I find your post to be spot on when adding bronzes post of prescription med's to the list..
 

zoomzx11

Gold
Jan 21, 2006
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I think it's a pretry nice low number. Would have expected higher. Let's look at the Canadians next.
 

Meemselle

Just A Few Words
Oct 27, 2014
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The bigger question is how do you define "mental health issues?" The number given of 20% can only be based on those who present themselves for diagnosis. Or is this percentage just empirical?
 
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Ecoman1949

Born to Ride.
Oct 17, 2015
2,806
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"Everybody's crazy except thee and me, and sometimes I wonder about thee". If you took life seriously in the DR with its corruption and violence, in the USA where the presidential choice has come down to the lesser of two evils, Clinton or Trump, or in Canada with its current government, insanity would probably be inevitable. Remember Sydney, the psychiatrist in the MASH tv series? He was asked how to stay sane in the midst of insanity like war. He replied, "Ladies and Gentlemen, take my advice. Pull down your pants and slide on the ice". In other words, stay cool at any cost.
 
Jan 7, 2016
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A lot of "sanity" is defined by cultural norms. The cultural norms in North America and the Caribbean area have been changing rapidly in recent history and thus the level of "sanity" is constantly changing with these norms. Let's face it, normalcy is in the eye of the beholder.
 

GringoRubio

Bronze
Oct 15, 2015
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My opinion, but it's not relavent to single out an individual Dominican and diagnosis an illness. Dominicans exist in extended families or even tribes which find an equilibrium which works for the group which is generally functional and happy.

Sure, there is serious mental illness, but 20%? I'm not buying it.
 

Chirimoya

Well-known member
Dec 9, 2002
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A lot of people certainly have "issues" but how many do you know who have been diagnosed and medicated for what are relatively common mental disorders in the West, like bi-polar, schizophrenia, even depression?
 

CristoRey

Welcome To Wonderland
Apr 1, 2014
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20% for Dominicans.
I'll bet the number is much higher for all of us
gringos who choose to call this Wonderland home :cheeky:
 
Aug 6, 2006
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My observation is that Latin Americans are far more hypocritical about sexual morality than are people in the US. Everyone seems to agree to the concept that children should be the result of a formal marriage and that human beings are ideally monogamous.
But in both Mexico and the DR, most children are illegitimate both according to the church and the civil authorities. There is an ideal, but my case, your case, my parents' case are different because of extenuating circumstances.

The middle class as always, adheres more to the morality as dictated by the church, but there is more obvious fooling around than in the US. Americans try to conceal their dalliances, while Latinos simply ignore them. They are no good at all at lying, so this is just as well.
 

Garyexpat

Bronze
Sep 7, 2012
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If I only had a peso for every time I heard "Gary tu ta loco" ......I'd be a rich man.