Mexico officials call for urgent youth mental health and addiction interventions

Authorities in Mexico are raising alarms regarding the mental health and substance abuse crisis among the youth. In San Luis Potosí, Deputy Mireya Vancini Villanueva of the State Congress has called upon the IMSS-Bienestar federal health system to address deficiencies in mental health services. She emphasized the urgent need for psychiatric and psychological protocols at primary care levels to combat rising cases of suicide and drug consumption among young people.

In Naucalpan, Joaquín Vivanco Castillo has assumed leadership of the Patronato of the Centros de Integración Juvenil. Vivanco Castillo reported an exponential increase in drug use, specifically noting that amphetamine consumption among adolescents is rising at an alarming rate, even surpassing marijuana use in some instances. He is seeking to establish alliances with educational institutions to strengthen prevention workshops and is calling for increased economic resources and volunteers to support addiction treatment centers.