Evaluation of practices in mental health care in the Brazilian Northeast

Abstract

This study presents a qualitative evaluation of mental health services, having as a goal to understand in what measure the care practices of a community mental health service in Fortaleza, Ceará (Brazil), have an impact in the strengthening of people diagnosed with mental disorders. Interviews were made mediated by self-photography, a focus group, and in-depth interviews, organizing the contents in categories obtained by the critical hermeneutics method. The results indicate that those care practices promote strengthening processes, because care is not limited in its activities, and is respectful of the existential territory supporting the expressions of pain, of discontent, of the possibility of being and, wishing for different things, and are distanced from the ideology of submission and resignation.