Pregnant women admitted to the psychiatric hospital: A portrait of vulnerability

Abstract

The psychiatric hospital was (re)inserted in the psychosocial care network, in Brazil, becoming an option for treatment in the mental health crisis. This article aimed to describe the profile, and care offered to pregnant women during hospitalization in a psychiatric hospital. This is a quantitative, cross-sectional, observational, descriptive study with data from medical records from January/2015 to August/2019. The sample had an n=67, showing a young population, mostly without any sort of income (including governmental assistance), with low education. Admissions were mainly non-voluntary, with a drop in prenatal care during hospitalization, which exposes a situation of social vulnerability with gender issues, representing a strong influence on health referrals for these women. Hospitalization demonstrated a weakness in providing integral care, reinforcing a segregating treatment. The need for articulated care from Primary Care was highlighted, considering the social determinants and citizenship rights, as well as the importance of rethinking the effective role of the psychiatric hospital.