Covid-19 impact on the provision of psychosocial rehabilitation services in latin america and the caribbean

Health care services have been deeply affected worldwide by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, and despite its importance to psychiatric reforms, very little has been written on actual responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in community psychiatry and psychosocial rehabilitation settings. Fifty-two mental health professionals from thirteen countries in Latin America and the Caribbean were interviewed in May and June 2020 and shared their opinions on the state of psychosocial rehabilitation services and programs during the first one-hundred days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Simple quantitative measures were added to a thematic analysis of responses. The results indicated that the disruption of group activities deeply affected psychosocial rehabilitation services, non-core activities (e.g., food and medication supply) became the most relevant aspects of these programs, shifting to remote mode proved to be a significant hurdle for many psychosocial rehabilitation service users, and long-term effect on rehabilitation services is expected by almost 90% of interviewees. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

“About Navigating Chaos”: Latin American and Caribbean Mental Health Workers’ Personal Impact Due to SARS-CoV-2 in the First Hundred Days

Objectives: The personal impact of COVID-19 on mental health care workers (MHWs) has received scarce attention despite their work addressing the emotional wellbeing of those affected by the pandemic. This study aims to analyze Latin American and Caribbean’s MHWs’ subjective impact in connection to working during the initial times of the pandemic. Methods: One hundred and fifty-five persons (n = 155) from seventeen countries were contacted in May–June 2020 through a snowball approach. Complementary methodological strategies of analysis used for data triangulation included content analysis, thematic analysis, and interpretative phenomenological analysis. Results: Participants reported feelings of fear, anxiety, anguish, and fatigue. Milder negative impacts (e.g., uncertainty, concern), and complex feelings (e.g., ambivalence) were also frequent. One third of participants acknowledged their capacity to learn from this situation and/or experience satisfaction. Conclusion: Mental health of MHWs in Latin America and the Caribbean were under severe strain and the ongoing mental health reforms at risk during the pandemic’s beginning. More research and additional care may be needed to offer support to those involved in caring for the wellbeing of others.