Health care to people with mental disorders in the network for psychosocial care

Abstract

Objective: to describe the health care given to people with mental disorders in the Network for Psychosocial Care. Methods: quantitative, cross-sectional and descriptive study with 1595 users of Centers for Psychosocial Care in the three states of southern Brazil in 2011. Data were entered in the statistical program Epi Info 6.04 and the analysis was performed in STATA 9.0. Results: the percentage of users who have non-psychiatric disorders is 45,3%. Among the non-psychiatric morbidities, hypertension and diabetes are among the most frequent. With respect to the place where service to treat the non-psychiatric disorders is offered, most participants mentioned Basic Health Units. Conclusion: the mental disorder is just one among many care needs. Thus, it is important to think on this care beyond the disorder, focusing mainly on people and their complexities.