Mental health professionals and policies: a descriptive study

Abstract

The Brazilian psychiatric reform proposes substitutive treatment in order to favor de-institutionalized practices. Based on that, it is important to know the practical spectrum of this new policy, as well as the opinions of the professionals involved. Aim: To analyze the policies of mental healthcare followed by the professionals who work in the psychosocial care network of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Norte (RN, in Portuguese). Method: This is a descriptive study, with a quantitative-qualitative approach, involving data obtained from questionnaires and interviews used in conjunction with professionals and coordinators of the public mental healthcare services in the Brazilian state of RN, respectively. The quantitative results will be analyzed with the support of SPSS software in terms of descriptive statistics; the qualitative data will be analyzed using ALCESTE software and other systems. It is expected that the results generated by these methods can contribute to professional practices and to the workings of the mental healthcare services in terms of the description of each, and the observation of possible issues in the process.