society

Mentally ill go ignored

Mentally disabled people living on the streets of David are causing numerous problems.

The governor of Chiriquí says that both local and national authorities are avoiding the issue.

EDUARDO ESPINO/LA PRENSA

dilemma: A growing number of mentally ill people living on the streets of David has prompted Chiriquí Governor Virgilio Vergara to urge government officials to take up the issue on a national level.1075970

Standing near a bus stop in David, Chiriquí, retiree Melina Cespedes watched carefully as a tall man approached, muttering incomprehensibly to himself. It wasn’t the first time she’d spotted him wandering through the streets, but it always gave her a start.

“They can tell me that the mentally ill are passive, but would they change their mind if he harmed me?” she wondered.

Every day, several people with mental health issues take shelter at a shopping center in downtown David, causing fear and unrest among customers. Chiriquí Governor Virgilio Vergara has commented that it’s an issue that deserves the urgent attention of legislators.

Usually this kind of social matter would fall under the discretion of municipal authorities, but Vergara has argued that his office simply lacks the financial resources to cope with the problem.

And when there is an occurrence of a mentally disabled person becoming aggressive, Vergara claims neither officials of the Ministerio de Salud (Minsa), nor police nor even the Servicio Nacional de Protección Civil want to deal with it.

“It’s like a game of basketball, because they pass the ball from one side to another without anyone resolving a situation that has gone on for many years,” the governor said

Vergara, who insists that the problem worsens every day, said that serious discussions between health and administrative authorities and police are necessary to determine what to do.

Vergara has suggested the possibility of creating a specialized center, or opening a wing at the Hospital Rafael Hernández to treat the provinces’ mentally ill.

But for Federico Ávila, provincial director for Minsa, institutionalizing the mentally ill rings of archaic and inhumane practices.

“The old perspectives are changing. When [the mentally disturbed] become aggressive, they are taken to health facilities, where they are stabilized and then returned to integrate back into society,” he said.

In a crisis situation, relatives of the mentally ill are asked to take them to a doctor, who can prescribe an appropriate treatment.

Familial support is essential to achieving an adequate treatment of any mental disorder, explained Ávila, a responsibility that ideally would be shared with Minsa.

“It’s a chain of actions that’s important to develop together,” he said.

The Minsa official acknowledged that there are many cases of mentally ill who are socially aggressive, but said that they can not be detained in health centers because of human rights issues. However, Ávila recommended calling the police if a mentally ill person becomes violent.