Scoping review of mental health-related policies issued in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in Peru

This study aims to identify, describe and analyze the policies enacted by the Peruvian health authorities to address the population mental health needs and adequate health services in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted an scoping review of mental health-related policies published between 6 March 2020 (first case of COVID-19 in Peru) and 31 May 2023. The official websites of the Peruvian Government, the Social Security Health System (EsSalud), and the LILACS scientific database were used. Data was analyzed using content and thematic analysis. Eighty-two documents were included. Policies contents were divided into three main categories. First, the governance of mental health care, which portrays the principles guiding policies and those seeking to strengthen mental health services by increasing the allocation of budget, use technology to provide remote care, enhance infrastructure, equipment and materials, hiring and training staff, and assure biosafety measures. Second, service delivery of mental health care, including policies aimed to detect and provide specialized mental health care to different groups of the population. Third, some policies focused on community engagement, promotion, and prevention in mental health, such as reducing misinformation, promoting self-care, community participation, and working with local organizations. We found that Peru included most of the international recommendations, but some important weaknesses were found, such as the lack of indicators to assess their completion or procedures on how to adapt these policies to routine practices. Peru designed several policies to attend to the mental health of its population during the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically on the principles for the provision of mental health care, the strengthening of these services, detection of mental disorders, provision of mental health care, and care at the community level. This study will inform other countries on their design of mental health policies, especially those with a community model-of-care.