CHALLENGES IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF A MENTAL HEALTH CARE NETWORK

Abstract

This research, of the case study type and with a quantitative approach, aimed to present and discuss the challenges met in setting up a Mental Health Care Network in a municipality of Rio Grande do Sul. The data was collected through analysis of documents, non-participant observation, and focus groups. Analysis was undertaken based on content analysis. The following thematic axes emerged from the results: Dubious understanding about the network on the part of the members of the Mental Health Commission; The work identified as distinct from the work currently done in mental health; The distancing between the tertiary level of care and the network (hospitalization) and The lack of proximity between the training institutions and the municipality’s mental health services. The study evidenced the need for investment in the development of health workers for work in networks, above all in Nursing, to extend it in the organization of mental health.

Keywords

• Mental health
• Community psychiatry
• Community networks
• Health care