Care for Psychiatric Patients that Use Drugs: Management and Perceptions of Professionals

Abstract

There is a high prevalence of drug use among psychiatric patients, favoring worse prognosis and situations of vulnerability. The aim of this study was to understand the perception and management of mental health professionals related to the use of drugs among people receiving psychiatric care. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 professionals. Through thematic analysis, three categories were constructed: (1) Identification of drug use, performed with some difficulty through self-reports, collected by doctors and nursing assistants, being the essential link; (2) Actions taken to manage drug use situations, focusing on abstinence counseling and many referrals; (3) Presence of moral discourses in the care offered. The team reports difficulties in dealing with situations of drug use among patients, from identification to management. The different ways of dealing with consumption were related to how the professional understands the use of drugs.