The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the Organization of American States (OAS) have launched the inaugural Inter-American Mental Health Week, held in the second week of October. This event emphasizes strengthening mental health services for children and youth across the Americas, under the theme “Empower, Connect, Care: Strengthening Child and Youth Mental Health in the Americas.”
During the week, several key activities are underway: a webinar presented an overview of regional mental health services for children and adolescents in primary care, and a workshop focuses on enhancing emergency mental health response through 911 systems. These efforts reflect a shared regional commitment to addressing mental health challenges using a rights-based, patient-centered, and community-focused approach.
Despite children and adolescents making up nearly 30% of the population in the Americas, their mental health needs remain largely unmet. Depression and anxiety are leading causes of disability among youth aged 15 to 24, with suicide being the third leading cause of death in this group—highlighting an urgent crisis. Daily stressors such as violence, bullying, poverty, and environmental disasters compound the risk factors for mental health conditions in this population.
To improve early detection and care, PAHO has introduced a new online course dedicated to the mental health of children and adolescents in primary care. This course, available through PAHO’s Virtual Campus for Public Health, targets non-specialist healthcare workers including primary health professionals, psychologists, nurses, and social workers. It covers critical topics like anxiety, depression, trauma, substance use, developmental disorders, ADHD, autism, and suicide prevention across 10 self-paced modules.
These initiatives align with PAHO’s broader Strategy for Improving Mental Health and Suicide Prevention in the Americas. Focus areas include early intervention and mental health promotion in schools and communities, aiming to reduce risk factors and boost resilience among young people.
PAHO Director Dr. Jarbas Barbosa emphasized the importance of making child and adolescent mental health a national priority. He called for investing in social and emotional skills development, healthcare worker training for mental health identification and management in primary care, and expanding psychosocial support in schools and community programs.
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