The Regional Secretary for Health defended in Ponta Delgada an early intervention in mental health using multidisciplinary teams involving psychologists.
 
"Psychologists are partners for excellence in promoting health and improving quality of life as well as in the priority we want to give in terms of prevention," said Rui Luís. He spoke Tuesday at the inauguration ceremony of the Regional Board of the Portuguese Psychologists' Association.
 
In his speech, he also stressed that the data collected by the Regional Directorate for Health, through the Health Risk Behaviour Surveillance System, and the data collected in the Survey Regional Health, are "very important for us to develop and implement new regional strategies to combat drug abuse, violence, obesity, teenage pregnancy and suicide."
 
Rui Luís also highlighted the importance of integrating mental health care into the regional health system, either at the level of primary care or at the level of hospital and long-term care, in order to facilitate the access to it and reduce the instutionalisation of patients.
 
The Secretary for Health folder also called for the collaboration of psychologists in the creation of mental health home support teams under the implementation of Mental Health Care Integrated Network.