A Haitian-led mental health treatment center in Northern Haiti: the first step in expanding mental health services throughout the region

The global challenge of providing mental health services in poverty: the situation of Northern Haiti

“…11,12 Specifically, Haiti faces increasing poverty, 9 and the latest estimates from 2012 indicated that nearly 60% of the population were living in poverty and more than a quarter were living in extreme poverty. 10 Moreover, 45% of Haitian workers were living in poverty, earning <$1.25 a day in 2012. 10 The national currency, the gourde, has lost more than half of its value, wages have not increased, many people have lost their jobs, social and economic realities have contributed to a higher number of Haitians living in poverty and the situation has worsened since 2017.…”

“…10 Moreover, 45% of Haitian workers were living in poverty, earning <$1.25 a day in 2012. 10 The national currency, the gourde, has lost more than half of its value, wages have not increased, many people have lost their jobs, social and economic realities have contributed to a higher number of Haitians living in poverty and the situation has worsened since 2017. 10 Furthermore, in Haiti, free access to healthcare is not guaranteed by public health institutions, and <10% of the population has access to an insurance system.…”

“…10 The national currency, the gourde, has lost more than half of its value, wages have not increased, many people have lost their jobs, social and economic realities have contributed to a higher number of Haitians living in poverty and the situation has worsened since 2017. 10 Furthermore, in Haiti, free access to healthcare is not guaranteed by public health institutions, and <10% of the population has access to an insurance system. Concerning mental health care, the public health system only has 138 beds and the country has <40 psychiatrists, 200 psychologists and <300 social workers for a population of >11 million.…”

The Overwhelming Sadness of Being an “Orphan” with Parents: Depressive Symptoms Among Adolescents Aging Out of Haiti’s Orphanages

“…While some risks for psychological problems can be mitigated, not all vulnerabilities are fully understood, particularly for youth from non-dominant cultures, lower income communities, and developing countries. [12,17,19,25] It is during this period of heightened vulnerability that most of the youth who age out of Haiti's orphanages transition to 1 Includes cities of 200,000+ people and those cities located directly adjacent to a city with more than 200,000 inhabitants 2 City of more than 100,000 people but less than 200,000 3 City with at least 20,000 people but less than 100,000 people 4…”

“…These vulnerabilities include collective and interpersonal trauma including frequent natural disasters. [9][10][11][12][13][14] Lack of basic resources, exposure to violence, a social service department with weak enforcement powers, and nearly constant sociopolitical instability are also risk factors for Haitian adolescents and young adults. [15][16][17][18][19][20][21] Adolescents aging out of orphanage care were interviewed within 3 months of their departure from the orphanage (T1) and again 8 months later (T2) regarding their experiences, their current circumstances, relationships with family members, access to services, experiences with mental health difficulties, and personal challenges.…”