The consumption of alcohol and drugs is causing an increase in the diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric problems.
There are two facts that are even more alarming: Costa Rican women triple the consumption of alcohol compared to other countries in the region; and young people between 15 and 19 years old exceed the alcohol intake of adults.
To address this problem, the National Hospital of Psychiatry opened a new model of care: The “New Horizons” program, which seeks to treat and even prevent mental problems, suicide and addictions.
The director of the medical center, Lidia Uribe, explained that there is a special concern for the teenage population; because the premise that marijuana is “natural” is seen as “permission” to consume it. She also explained that women have – at least – one episode of extreme inebriation per month.