The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), in collaboration with the Douglas Institute from McGill University - PAHO/WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Mental Health, hosted a regional meeting on mental wellness and suicide prevention in indigenous communities, which was held in Montreal, 25-26 October 2017. Participants included more than thirty representatives from indigenous communities and health officials from across the Region of the Americas. Eleven countries in total were represented: Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Guyana, Mexico, Panama, Peru, and the United States.
Dévora Kestel, Mental Health and Substance Use Unit Chief at PAHO, and Dr. Marc Laporta from McGill University, opened the meeting and served as moderators. It consisted of a series of panels on indigenous and health systems approaches with regard to mental health and suicide prevention. The work-groups following the panels gave participants the opportunity to discuss key questions on collaboration and shared barriers.
The first day focused on the concept of wellness in mental health and examined indigenous perceptions and responses to the subject. Suicide prevention was addressed on the second day and it featured panels on indigenous and health systems initiatives. The conference came to a close with an open discussion on ways forward, in which participants were able to propose practical next steps for establishing active collaboration on the issue.
An important takeaway from the meeting was the recognition that many indigenous communities across the Region have common goals and challenges related to mental wellness and suicide prevention, and could benefit from sharing best practices. Along this line, participants discussed the need to create a repository of local experiences and evidence-based strategies to promote mental health and to combat suicide. Participants also expressed their hope that discussion on these subjects will be continued in the near future.
The event report is available for download from the PAHO digital library.
