Juan Roberto Rengifo GutiérrezMónica Pinilla‐RoncancioGermán CasasFrancy CarranzaSanne WeberSarah‐Jane FentonPaul JacksonJuan Pablo Aranguren Romero2026-03-222026-03-22202310.21203/rs.3.rs-3170252/v1https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3170252/v1https://andeanlibrary.org/handle/123456789/83721Citaciones: 3<title>Abstract</title> <bold>Background: </bold>This article is the first to present a national level mapping of the provision of mental health services to young people living in Colombia. It explores the existing public mental health provision in the country, with a particular focus on where mental health resources are concentrated. <bold>Methods: </bold>This research adopted a mixed methodology including: 1) a documentary policy analysis to understand youth mental health provision; 2) interviews with key policy makers and stakeholders responsible at the national level for policy delivery and implementation; and 3) a quantitative analysis of three key datasets to understand the resources available for youth mental health within Colombia. <bold>Results: </bold>We use this mapping to understand how the current mental health system in Colombia fits with international approaches to youth mental health and find that whilst mental health disorders presented a significant portion of the global disease burden, particularly in low-income countries, approaches to supporting population level youth mental health have not been adapted for conflict contexts. This paper addresses that gap through a detailed review of documentation, interviews with key stakeholders and a quantitative analysis of existing data on mental health and suicide across Colombia. Mental health was framed (biomedical, biosocial, psychologically or through human rights), Colombian policy clearly focusses on a differential approach that shapes service provision to target support at those in need, but consequently neglects whole population level mental health support. This means that not all stakeholders were clearly articulated or included in policy and key stakeholders, such as education, were not linked to implementation plans or activity. Policy approaches were also over-centralised with little cross-institutional collaboration. <bold>Conclusion: </bold>Youth were specifically missing from services, as was explicit understanding the intergenerational effects and impact of conflict. This was exacerbated by unequal distribution of mental health care services concentrated in populous, urban areas away from conflict-affected regions. Suicide is the second most prevalent cause of death with 10% of population who were recorded as dying by violence, dying from completed suicide. Triangulation of this data implies a strong relationship between suicide and poorer access to professional support in conflict-affected areas.enMental healthContext (archaeology)Health policyDocumentationPopulationPublic healthPublic relationsPsychologyPolitical scienceMedicinepreprint