Poverty increases mental problems, experts point out

Santo Domingo.– Economic deprivation is the main factor of mental diseases in Latin America, especially in very poor countries such as the Dominican Republic, and the situation is aggravated by labor exploitation and exclusion.

To that conclusion arrived yesterday the members of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA) and the Latin American Psychiatric Association (Apal), who warned about the destructive behavior that causes poverty due the rising of concerns.

In a lecture at the XVIII Central American Psychiatric Congress, held at the Bavaro Palace Deluxe Hotel, WPA president Pedro Ruiz cited studies that demonstrate how economic hardship directly influences the mental state of the population.

He noted that in a recent research conducted in New York City, it was found that whenever unemployment increased by one percent, suicide and homicide rates also rose. "This is one of the great challenges Latin American psychiatrists face, as most poor patients do not have access to appropriate treatment," Ruiz said.