CIESAL researcher, Rubén Alvarado, gives keynote lecture at 2nd International Congress on Mental Health

7/12/2023

 Between 28 and 30 November, in Lima, Perú, the II International Congress on Mental Health through the Life Course was held. The Andean Health Organisation organised the event, an entity in which Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela and Chile participate. With the participation of authorities from PAHO/WHO and the World Bank, professionals, and academics, different presentations and workshops were held to contribute to developing and strengthening public policies on mental health in these countries.

 

One of the main topics was the prevention of suicide in young people, where CIESAL researcher Prof. Rubén Alvarado gave a keynote lecture analysing the situation of suicide in adolescents in the Andean countries, the associated factors and the different strategies that could be implemented to prevent deaths from this cause. Three ideas were highlighted: 1) that it is essential to study and prevent the conditions that make up the risk of suicide, anticipating the suicide attempt; 2) that more research is needed on the conditions and factors of suicide risk in our countries, since almost all the evidence comes from European countries, USA, Canada and Australia; and, 3) that more evidence is needed on the effectiveness of prevention interventions in our context, innovating and testing new ideas that arise from working together with young people and that are relevant to their realities.