A psychiatric trainee perspective on community-based mental health interventions in Portugal

Abstract

Psychiatric and substance use disorders contribute significantly to the burden of years lived with disability in Portugal. Various cultural, social, and geographical factors seem to contribute to this disease burden, including rural-to-urban migration, social isolation, alcohol use, and psychiatric care stigma. For this reason, mental health policies under the National Mental Health Program have been implemented, particularly in developing community mental health teams (CMHTs) at the national level. As psychiatry trainees, this time of change in the organisation of services is also a learning opportunity, so this article aims to reflect on some of the national problems that seem to contribute to the state of national mental health and how current policies might be the appropriate response.