Community-based intersectoral network for the management of mental problems and disorders associated with forced displacement due to armed conflict in the municipality of Soacha - Cundinamarca (Pilot study)

In Colombia, internal migration due to socio-political violence continues to be a serious problem. In recent years, the Department of Cundinamarca, and in particular the municipality of Soacha, have concentrated a significant proportion of the population that is the victim of forced displacement due to internal armed conflict. Government programs and initiatives of non-governmental organizations in the municipality of Soacha have been insufficient to identify and address the mental health problems associated with forced displacement. Barriers to access programs and services, distrust and fear of the population, are some of the related factors. The importance of social determinants and community participation in understanding and addressing the mental health needs of the population victim of armed conflict is increasingly being recognized. With this background, the project "Community-based intersectoral network for the management of mental problems and disorders associated with forced displacement due to armed conflict in the municipality of Soacha - Cundinamarca (Pilot study)" was developed. The project, financed by the National University of Colombia, is part of a quasi-experimental macro study before and after with a 3-year follow-up, with mixed qualitative and quantitative methodology. The objectives were: Phase 1: Characterize the problems and possible mental disorders, in addition to the current situation related to the social determinants of the population victim of forced displacement by the armed conflict in the municipality of Soacha. Phase 2: Develop and implement a community-based intersectoral network for the management of evidenced mental problems and disorders (pilot study-Informative network) The poster, presented at the XI International Congress of Public Health in the city of Medellín in November, 2019, shows the partial results of Phase I and the pilot of Phase II developed in the period 2018-2019. The sociodemographic results related to income level and family composition are worrying. In the analysis of the focus groups carried out with the victims, misinformation about the processes of integral reparation and the lack of knowledge of the resources and opportunities for recovery are worrisome. In civil servants and professionals the emotional and work overload, the perception of poor training and little support for working with this population.