New York Times Examines Venezuela’s Mental Health System

New York Times: Inside Venezuela’s Crumbling Mental Hospitals
“The state-run psychiatric hospital here in Barquisimeto, Venezuela, has long been a forgotten place, filled with forgotten people. But with Venezuela suffering from a severe economic crisis, this mental institution has almost no drugs to control the afflictions tormenting its patients. At the invitation of doctors, reporters from The New York Times visited six psychiatric wards across the country. All reported shortages of medicine, even food…” (Kohut/Casey, 10/1).

New York Times: At a Loss for Meds, Venezuela’s Mentally Ill Spiral Downward
“…Venezuela’s economic collapse has already decimated its health system, leaving hospitals without antibiotics, surgeons without gloves, and patients dying on emergency room tables. Now, thousands of mental health patients — many of whom had been living relatively normal lives under medication — are drifting into despair and psychosis because the country has run out of the vast majority of psychiatric medicines, leaving families and doctors powerless to help them, medical experts say…” (Casey, 10/1)

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