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Abstract

COVID-19 highlighted the significance of mental health worldwide, with warnings of a “tsunami” of psychological issues across virtually all parts of the globe. This situation intensified longstanding debates in transcultural psychiatry regarding the sociocultural dimensions of mental health. This article examines narratives of social anxiety and psychological distress that emerged during the pandemic in Colombia and explores how they interacted with local mental health discourses and political processes. The analysis draws on ethnographic fieldwork conducted between October 2022 and March 2023, including semi-structured interviews with public health managers in four municipalities and representatives of the Ministry of Health. A qualitative data analysis framework for applied policy research and a retrospective document analysis was used to contextualize local mental health policies and their conceptual foundations. The findings trace the development of local mental health policies and situate them within the peace-building context. Public responses to COVID-19 in the four municipalities revealed a marked increase in mental health initiatives and the prominence of mental health discourses on political agendas at both local and national levels. While narratives of isolation, fear, and bereavement echoed global concerns, their framing within Colombia's peace-building project gave them distinctive meanings and trajectories. The recalibration of existing infrastructures—such as helplines and community-based programmes—illustrates how global crises intersect with long-standing national agendas, underscoring that mental health policies are embedded in cultural and political projects.

Keywords

COVID-19 mental health policy psycho-politics violence prevention community-based mental health Colombia

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The Promise of Peace of Mind and “ Convivencia Social” : Psycho-Politics in Times of COVID-19 in Colombia

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