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Updated: Jan 19, 2026
Stress and Mental Health
Mental health in the Dominican Republic
Miguel R Hernández1, Tresha Ann Gibbs2, Luisa Gautreaux-Subervi3
1Attending and Clinical Instructor in Psychiatry, New York Presbyterian Hospital, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, USA, email mh2330@columbia.edu.
Abstract:
The Dominican Republic is located in the Caribbean Sea and comprises three-quarters of the island Hispaniola, which it shares with Haiti. According to the 2002 census, approximately 8.5 million people live in the Republic, with 64% residing in urban areas (Oficina Nacional Estadística, n.d.). During 1990 and 2000, the Dominican Republic was a leader in economic development for Latin America and the Caribbean; however, this was not reflected in the areas of human and social development (Pan American Health Organization & World Health Organization, 2007). Less than 1% of the health budget administered by the Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance (MISPAS) is allocated to mental health and the public system is generally underfunded (Pan American Health Organization & World Health Organization, 2008). However, there is an array of mental health services within the country when privately funded facilities are taken into account.
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