title: [Evaluation of the mental health system in Mexico: where is it headed?].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Evaluate some of the key indicators that characterize the Mexican mental health system using the World Health Organization's Assessment Instrument for Mental Health Systems (WHO-AIMS).
  
  
  METHODS
  The strategy for examining the WHO-AIMS indicators included: (i) a review of documentary sources; (ii) application of the questionnaire; and (iii) group work with a team of experts using the consensus technique. To facilitate collection of the data, a questionnaire was prepared in which the indicators were turned into simple questions. The people gathering the data were trained, and the activity was monitored.
  
  
  RESULTS
  It was found that, of the total budget for health, only 2% is allocated for mental health, and, of that share, 80% is used in the operation of psychiatric hospitals. The pivotal point for mental health care is in the psychiatric hospital; there are very few psychiatric units in the general hospitals, few residential establishments, and few services targeted specifically to care for children and adolescents. Access is limited because of the centralized health care system, with the majority of establishments located in the large cities. Only 30% of primary care services have protocols for the evaluation and treatment of mental disorders. Finally, in the mental health facilities, the ratios of psychiatrists, other physicians, nurses, and psychologists per 100 000 population are 1.6, 1.3, 3.4, and 1.5, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  More funding will be needed in order to bridge the gap between the mental health burden and the budget allocated for its care, and resources will need to be used more rationally, with the first level of care becoming the pivot. In addition, it will be necessary to increase the number of specialists, offer periodic in-service training for personnel at the first level of care, and enlist greater participation by the rest of society.
authors.affiliation: Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatría Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz, México D.F., México. berenz@imp.edu.mx
authors.forename: Shoshana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Berenzon Gorn
authors.forename: Nayelhi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Saavedra Solano
authors.forename: María Elena
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Medina-Mora Icaza
authors.forename: Víctor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Aparicio Basaurí
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Galván Reyes
mesh_terms: D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000592:standards*; D008800:Mexico; D019984:Quality Indicators, Health Care