Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Expresso das Ilhas
Published on 2024-04-02 15:26:00
Alcohol consumption in Cabo Verde is a “structural and public health issue,” said psychologist Jacob Vicente today, noting that this situation has led to an increase in the use of other drugs.
The statement was made in statements to journalists in Praia, moments before participating as a speaker in an open conversation with young people under the theme “Emotional balance and drug use” as part of the World Health Day celebrations promoted by the City Hall of Praia.
Therefore, he pointed out, there is an “exponential increase” in drug use, “which is evident to everyone,” also stemming from the level of poverty in families and other social and psychological variables.
“We are in a country where more than 70% of families are single-parent and with an extremely high level of unemployment. When we cross these variables, we realize that we have no public policies that aim to reduce drug use, alcohol or other phenomena,” he explained.
On the other hand, he warned that the first three months of this year show that the situation of society is “extremely worrying” in terms of mental health, noting that the World Health Organization (WHO) report on covid-19 indicates a worsening of mental health over the next six years.
“Cabo Verde has a level of depression that compares globally, we are among the first in Africa and in the world, in per capita terms,” said the sociologist, calling on the Government and all professionals in this area to step out of the “realm of guesswork.”
“When we have a country with a very noticeable psycho-emotional vulnerability of young people, we can expect that the coming years will be very compromised,” warned Jacob Vicente.
Musician and social activist Gá Dalomba, who was one of the speakers, considered, on the other hand, that the “single-parenting of families” is associated with the emotional balance of young Cape Verdeans, which consequently can influence the use of alcohol and other drugs.
World Health Day is celebrated annually on April 7th, with the aim of mobilizing support for awareness, action, and research on global health priorities and well-being for all.
Read the original article(Portuguese) on Expresso das Ilhas
