A comparison of mental health care: the United States & the Republic of Cuba
A comparison of mental health care: the United States & the Republic of Cuba
The writer is co-author of “Interpersonal Psychoanalytic Theory for the 21st Century: Evolving Self,” published by Lexington Books. She has been a practicing psychotherapist since 1968. Until the 1970s, psychiatric hospitals in the U.S. were huge, much like prisons, warehousing thousands of peopl
The most important concept underlying mental health services in Cuba is the strength of the relationship between mental health care and Cuban society as a whole. Mental health care is completely integrated into Cuban society. The orientation of health care in general is preventive, through education and frequent contact, so that potential health problems are spotted early before they become serious. Psychologists and other mental health workers are included.
Teams make regular visits to people in their sector, focusing especially on high-risk groups, such as children from birth to four years old, the elderly, people with diabetes and people with high blood pressure — all as part of an exercise of preventive medicine.