[Training in psychiatry for health teams in Colombia]

About 90% of the 40 million victims of mental disorders in the developing countries receive no treatment, and little progress is being made in this respect. This article examines the use of new strategies for solving the problem. It is obvious that the traditional methods of mental health care have been ineffective and that new programs should now be undertaken that can ensure proper service within the coming decades for those being neglected. Based on the results of a practical experiment carried out in Colombia, the authors, without making any definitive recommendations, point to the usefulness of training auxiliary staff of urban and rural health centers to work as a team (under the supervision of a physician or a graduate nurse) in the care and management of psychiatric patients. They enumerate the advantages offered by training programs on various aspects of mental health for general practitioners (who usually have little interest in psychiatry), psychiatry residents, nurses, and auxiliaries.