Teresa Borràs Cabacés (

Reus Reus () is the capital of Baix Camp, in Camp de Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain. The area has long been an important producer of wines and spirits, and gained continental significance during the time of the Phylloxera plague. Currently it is known f ...

, Spain, 25 July 1958), known in Spain as Tre Borràs or Dr. Tre, is a Spanish

psychiatrist A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry. Psychiatrists are physicians who evaluate patients to determine whether their symptoms are the result of a physical illness, a combination of physical and mental ailments or strictly ...

psychotherapist Psychotherapy (also psychological therapy, talk therapy, or talking therapy) is the use of Psychology, psychological methods, particularly when based on regular Conversation, personal interaction, to help a person change behavior, increase hap ...

, author and researcher, specializing in drug use and dependence and the responsible use of drugs.

Biography

After graduating from

University of Rovira i Virgili University of Rovira i Virgili (; ) is located in the Catalan cities of Tarragona, Reus, Tortosa Vila-seca, el Vendrell and Vilafranca del Penedès (Spain). Its name is in honor of Antoni Rovira i Virgili. The Universitat Rovira i Virgili i ...

, Borràs started working at the ''"Sant Joan de Deu"''

University Hospital A teaching hospital or university hospital is a hospital or medical center that provides medical education and training to future and current health professionals. Teaching hospitals are almost always affiliated with one or more universities a ...

, a medium-sized city in

Tarragona province Tarragona (; ) is a province of eastern Spain, in the southern part of the autonomous community of Catalonia. It is bordered by the provinces of Castellón, Teruel, Zaragoza, Lleida and Barcelona and by the Mediterranean Sea. The province's po ...

(

Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...

, Spain). She directed the service of

mental health Mental health is often mistakenly equated with the absence of mental illness. However, mental health refers to a person's overall emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It influences how individuals think, feel, and behave, and how t ...

and substance use hosted by the Hospital between 1984 and 2023, and coordinated the municipality's plan of action on drugs (''Pla d'accions sobre drogues'') between 2004 and 2023. Borràs is known for her

interdisciplinarity Interdisciplinarity or interdisciplinary studies involves the combination of multiple academic disciplines into one activity (e.g., a research project). It draws knowledge from several fields such as sociology, anthropology, psychology, economi ...

approach to drug use and dependence, and for pioneering a number of

harm reduction Harm reduction, or harm minimization, refers to a range of intentional practices and public health policies designed to lessen the negative social and/or physical consequences associated with various human behaviors, both legal and illegal. H ...

services: * Opening of one of the first

supervised injection site Supervised injection sites (SIS) or drug consumption rooms (DCRs) are a health and social response to drug-related problems. They are fixed or mobile spaces where people who use drugs are provided with sterile drug use equipment and can use illic ...

s in Europe, in 1999, * Creation of a peer-support network (ARSU, Associació Reus Som Útils), * Set-up of

needle and syringe programmes A needle and syringe programme (NSP), also known as needle exchange program (NEP), is a social service that allows injection drug users (IDUs) to obtain clean and unused hypodermic needles and associated paraphernalia at little or no cost. It ...

in pharmacies, and dispensing machines, *

Clinical trial Clinical trials are prospective biomedical or behavioral research studies on human subject research, human participants designed to answer specific questions about biomedical or behavioral interventions, including new treatments (such as novel v ...

on the use of the

traditional A tradition is a system of beliefs or behaviors (folk custom) passed down within a group of people or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examp ...

African

psychedelic Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary mental states (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips") and a perceived "expansion of consciousness". Also referred to as classic halluci ...

ibogaine Ibogaine is a psychoactive indole alkaloid derived from plants such as '' Tabernanthe iboga'', characterized by hallucinogenic and oneirogenic effects. Traditionally used by Central African foragers, it has undergone controversial research ...

for the treatment of opioid dependence, in collaboration with the International Center for Ethnobotanical Education, Research and Service foundation, * A gender perspective in the response to

recreational use of drugs Recreational drug use is the use of one or more psychoactive drugs to induce an altered state of consciousness, either for pleasure or for some other casual purpose or pastime. When a psychoactive drug enters the user's body, it induces an in ...

and

substance use disorders Substance use disorder (SUD) is the persistent use of drugs despite substantial harm and adverse consequences to self and others. Related terms include ''substance use problems'' and ''problematic drug or alcohol use''. Along with substance-ind ...

, including partnerships with Metzineres. One of the outputs is the documentary "Green Witch project" about "the use of cannabis by different groups of women from a broad perspective of harm and risk reduction", * A response to drug-related issues integrating social and psychological aspects, beyond the unique focus on the substance and neural or biological mechanisms, * Fostering of public debate and conferences in connection with various social and political stakeholders, * Creation of a

drug checking Drug checking or pill testing is a way to Harm reduction, reduce the harm from drug consumption by allowing users to find out the content and purity of substances that they intend to consume. This enables users to make safer choices: to avoid more ...

service, the "Isolab Reus" to analyze adulterated drugs in connection with the Trans-European Drug Information network, * Eradicating

hepatitis C virus The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a small (55–65 nm in size), enveloped, positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus of the family ''Flaviviridae''. The hepatitis C virus is the cause of hepatitis C and some cancers such as liver cancer ( hepatoc ...

among people who use drugs attending her services, as early as 2021.

Removal and controversy

In April 2023, the dismissal of Dr. Borràs as head of both the hospital service and the municipal action plan was reported, raising suspicions about the continuity of the health and social care model she had leadered in Reus. Local stakeholders analyzed her dismissal of Borràs as "a clear disavowal of the orientation followed by it up to now". A petition opposing her dismissal, and demanding the continuation of the services pioneered by Dr Borràs reportedly received 2000 supports, including international organizations such as

Harm Reduction International Harm Reduction International, formerly known as International Harm Reduction Association, describes itself as a non-governmental organisation (NGO) in Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council, and works wit ...

International Drug Policy Consortium The International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC) is a global network of nearly 200 NGOs. IDPC's vision is described as "Drug policies that advance social justice and human rights". The IDPC secretariat has offices in London (UK), Amsterdam (Netherla ...

, or INPUD.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Borras Cabaces, Tre Health in Catalonia Drug culture Drugs in Spain Feminism and health Harm reduction HIV/AIDS in Spain Living people Spanish women activists 21st-century Spanish women physicians 21st-century Spanish physicians Spanish women psychiatrists Spanish psychiatrists Spanish women psychologists Year of birth missing (living people)

Biography

Removal and controversy

See also

References