Costa Rica Unveils Ambitious Mental Health Strategy for the Next Decade
The National Mental Health Plan 2024-2034 aims to reduce mental health disorders and improve well-being post-COVID-19 pandemic.
In December, Costa Rica launched its National Mental Health Plan 2024-2034, a comprehensive ten-year strategy aimed at addressing critical issues in mental health.
With objectives that include the reduction of suicides, traffic accidents, and health service consultations for anxiety and other mental health disorders, the plan underscores a significant national challenge: improving the mental health conditions of Costa Ricans, which have deteriorated in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The plan involves collaborating health institutions—both public and private—with community organizations, academic bodies, and research institutes towards a shared goal of enhancing mental well-being.
The strategy's backbone focuses on promoting protective factors, prevention, treatment, and social inclusion to curb both the incidence and the prevalence of mental health disorders.
The strategy is structured around three primary axes.
The first emphasizes the promotion of mental health through the development and reinforcement of healthy environments, alongside encouraging the adoption of healthier lifestyles.
The second axis is an intersectoral approach meant to advance mental health prevention, early detection, and timely care, while fostering social and occupational inclusion.
The third axis targets reducing suicidal behavior—a prominent challenge in Costa Rica, given the high mortality linked to suicide.
Objectives set by the Ministry of Health aim to reduce the suicide mortality rate from 8.7 to 7.6 per 100,000 inhabitants over the next decade.
In addition, the mortality rate from traffic accidents should decrease from 15.98 to 14.28 per 100,000 people.
Health consultations for anxiety disorders are expected to drop from 4% to 2.7%, while first-time consultations due to mental health disorders should decline from 11.8% to 7.9%.
Of particular note is the goal concerning femicide mortality, which aims to remain unchanged at 0.73 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants.
The plan's detailed goals highlight several indicators, such as maintaining the current rate of femicide, reducing the percentage of individuals hospitalized more than once a year due to mental disorders, and increasing the proportion of those referred for mental health follow-up after primary care consultations.
This ambitious blueprint, reflecting a deep commitment to mental health, is seen as a vital step to address the legacy of mental health issues worsened by the global pandemic.
As these policies are enacted, they will require robust public and private sector cooperation to ensure sustained success throughout the decade.
The full set of objectives and metrics can be viewed [here](https://www.ministeriodesalud.go.cr/index.php/biblioteca-de-archivos-left/documentos-ministerio-de-salud/salud-mental-1/politica-salud-mental/8643-politica-nacional-salud-mental/file).
With objectives that include the reduction of suicides, traffic accidents, and health service consultations for anxiety and other mental health disorders, the plan underscores a significant national challenge: improving the mental health conditions of Costa Ricans, which have deteriorated in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The plan involves collaborating health institutions—both public and private—with community organizations, academic bodies, and research institutes towards a shared goal of enhancing mental well-being.
The strategy's backbone focuses on promoting protective factors, prevention, treatment, and social inclusion to curb both the incidence and the prevalence of mental health disorders.
The strategy is structured around three primary axes.
The first emphasizes the promotion of mental health through the development and reinforcement of healthy environments, alongside encouraging the adoption of healthier lifestyles.
The second axis is an intersectoral approach meant to advance mental health prevention, early detection, and timely care, while fostering social and occupational inclusion.
The third axis targets reducing suicidal behavior—a prominent challenge in Costa Rica, given the high mortality linked to suicide.
Objectives set by the Ministry of Health aim to reduce the suicide mortality rate from 8.7 to 7.6 per 100,000 inhabitants over the next decade.
In addition, the mortality rate from traffic accidents should decrease from 15.98 to 14.28 per 100,000 people.
Health consultations for anxiety disorders are expected to drop from 4% to 2.7%, while first-time consultations due to mental health disorders should decline from 11.8% to 7.9%.
Of particular note is the goal concerning femicide mortality, which aims to remain unchanged at 0.73 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants.
The plan's detailed goals highlight several indicators, such as maintaining the current rate of femicide, reducing the percentage of individuals hospitalized more than once a year due to mental disorders, and increasing the proportion of those referred for mental health follow-up after primary care consultations.
This ambitious blueprint, reflecting a deep commitment to mental health, is seen as a vital step to address the legacy of mental health issues worsened by the global pandemic.
As these policies are enacted, they will require robust public and private sector cooperation to ensure sustained success throughout the decade.
The full set of objectives and metrics can be viewed [here](https://www.ministeriodesalud.go.cr/index.php/biblioteca-de-archivos-left/documentos-ministerio-de-salud/salud-mental-1/politica-salud-mental/8643-politica-nacional-salud-mental/file).
