Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Programa de Medicina, Facultad de Ciencias para la Salud, Universidad de Manizales, Manizales, Colombia

2 Departamento de Psiquiatría, Facultad de Medicina. Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia

Abstract

Background 
The participatory approach in policy construction is a historical debt to communities. An example of the above is the definition that Colombian Indigenous communities give to mental health or spiritual harmony. Spiritual harmonies are a collective good that implies being in harmony with the spirit and with thought, which is why it is related to the community context, with the territory, identity, autonomy, spirituality, worldview, diverse cultural uses, practices, and customs. The objective of this study was to analyze the process of building a mental health recovery path with multiple community representatives in a Colombian territory.
 
Methods 
Through a co-production method based on Participatory Action Research, focus groups were developed with representatives of children, youth, indigenous peoples, migrant populations, as well as government sectors such as health, education and decision-makers in the territory. This study was carried out in 2023 in the District of Riohacha, Colombia, in the last quarter of 2023, within the framework of the construction of a mental health route, led by the District Mayor's Office. 59 people participated in the focus groups.
 
Results 
The necessity of living in safe and supportive environments was emphasized. The route built with the community was based on the definition of the necessary steps to generate a real approach to the context and their perceptions of wellbeing, mental health and spiritual harmonies. Three main themes were identified: 1) Mental health: a construct of wellbeing,  care and identity, 2) Barriers to an integral approach and ideals of joint construction, and 3) the proposal for a comprehensive mental health route.
 
Conclusion 
Co-productive methodologies strengthen community autonomy and empowerment, and make the implementation of mental health programs more feasible. In public policies, it is increasingly necessary to have communities that are strengthened in the production of knowledge and in the proposals for implementation.

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