This literature review was organized on the basis of the Annals of Mental Health Researcher and Psychiatric Nursing Specialists Meetings promoted by the University of São Paulo at Ribeirão Preto College of Nursing. It aimed to describe the history of these events, investigating the scenario and trends through the reading of texts published in these documents. All annals available from 1990 to 2004 were analyzed and read, based on an analysis protocol. The results showed that the published texts reflect the historical momentum of each national mental health policy movement in Brazil, indicating contradictions and advances. The conclusion is that the events provided a privileged forum to discuss and exchange experiences about the future of psychiatric nursing and mental health care, teaching and research in Brazil.
psychiatric nursing; mental health; nursing research
