Abstract

SAMPAIO, José Jackson Coelho; GUIMARAES, José Maria Ximenes; CARNEIRO, Cleide  and  GARCIA FILHO, Carlos. Working in mental health services in the context of Brazilian psychiatric reform: a technical, political and ethical challenge. Ciênc. saúde coletiva [online]. 2011, vol.16, n.12, pp. 4685-4694. ISSN 1413-8123.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1413-81232011001300017.

This paper deals with mental health taken within the context of Brazilian Psychiatric Reform and profiling the transformations in the organization of work processes. This has occurred as a result of the advances with respect to the implementation of the services that replaced the classic psychiatric model and the reconfiguration of the scope of intervention and practices. From this standpoint, the paper seeks to pinpoint the contradictions and problems related to this process and its impact on the organization of work processes on the management of services and on worker health. Lastly, strategies are prepared for the purpose of tackling the problem, chief among which are the following: the redefinition of spaces, practices, and the relationships among the different actors, namely managers, workers, and users; the adoption of co-management mechanisms; and clinical-institutional supervision.

Keywords : Mental health; Healthcare reform; Mental health services; Health personnel management.