Parallels between research in mental health in Brazil and in the field of Global Mental Health: An integrative literature review

Abstract

Global Mental Health is a field of teaching, research, and practice whose goal is to improve access to mental health and reduce inequalities in mental health outcomes for all people worldwide, especially proposing action in low- and middle-income countries like Brazil. Given this global scenario and Brazil's progress in health and psychiatric reforms, it is important to investigate the current status of the Brazilian mental health literature and its relationship to Global Mental Health, describing how Brazilian research deals with key topics in the Global Mental Health field. The authors performed an integrative literature review using a qualitative and descriptive approach. The article search was performed for the years 2014 and 2015 in Portuguese and English, using the terms “mental health” and “Brazil”, combined with key words corresponding to the principal themes addressed by authors in Global Mental Health. The search yielded 88 articles, which were analyzed according to authorship, periodicals and regions, and the analytical categories of access, primary care, community mental health services, social determinants of health, human rights, and equity. Brazil's mental health research revealed a rich and diverse body of studies, showing parallels with the literature on global mental health, but with limited systematization. Although the review revealed efforts to generate knowledge in this field within Brazil, some barriers may be limiting Brazil's participation in the international debate on Global Mental Health.