Difficulties in mental health work: the perception of Family Health Support Center workers in the Western Region of Minas Gerais state, Brazil

Abstract

The current scenario of neoliberal political maneuvers in Brazil brought several legislative changes regarding health care policies which alter many services’ organizational forms and funding. These changes also come through as precarious work and threaten advances and accomplishments related to the Brazilian Psychiatric Reform and mental health care. This study aimed to identify and analyse difficulties regarding the construction of a mental health (MH) policy in Primary Health Care (PHC) according to professionals working at 11 teams of the Family Health Support Center (NASF). We developed a qualitative study through 11 semi-structured interviews conducted with 11 MH workers in PHC and explored the results using content analysis. The identified difficulties were precarious forms of employment; high professional turnover; insufficient working hours; low wages; working hours concentrated in care activities; lack of integration and communication among services and workers and disarticulation of the psychosocial attention network (RAPS). Matrix support was not present and there were no Permanent Health Education policies in the municipalities studied. Nevertheless, the NASF contributed to improve mental healthcare. The conclusion is that ongoing changes impose challenges to sustain mental health accomplishments and consolidation of mental healthcare policies at PHC at the studied municipalities.