Mapping of inquiries in mental health care in Brazil (2004-2013)

This work aims to map the research on public mental health services evaluation carried out in Brazil in the last 10 years. We searched electronic databases for dissertations, theses and academic papers. We selected 68 dissertations and theses, and 103 articles. Most of dissertations and theses were produced by Public Health and Nursing graduate programs in the states of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. The articles refer to services located in a restricted number of municipalities in the South and Southeast regions of the country, mainly in Rio Grande do Sul and São Paulo, with few nationwide studies. Throughout the production, the Psychosocial Community Centers, followed by Primary Health Care, are the most frequently evaluated services. Mental health workers, followed by service-users were the main source of information in the studies. Most work uses qualitative methodology. We conclude that, taken as a whole, evaluative researches in Brazil have focused on a few approaches to the process of mental health care reform, and that they are not comprehensive enough to provide information on national mental health indicators.

Mental Health Services Evaluation; Empirical Research - Mental Health; Psychosocial Community Centers; Primary Health Care - Mental Health; Unified Health System - Brazil