The nurse and the actions of mental health in basic health units

Abstract

Mental suffering is present in every situation that involves the falling ill process. The prevalence of ordinary mental disturbances increases the demand of mental services, therefore it's made necessary to value this dimension as a health indicator in any level of attention.  The goal of this study was to learn how the nurses who attend in basic units acknowledge actions of mental health.  A qualitative descriptive exploratory study run in Botucatu-SP, driven by interviews, in the period of November and December of 2003 and with five nurses, which content led to two categories: the quotidian of basic units and mental health/ actions of mental health performed by the nurses. Data shows that despite the situations lived in the unit that involves the welcoming and listening to the patients in psychic suffering and in social isolation, there isn't any programmatic action focused on the clientele. The patients are guided to specialized services and the nurses recognize as actions of mental health only the control of psychiatric medications and orientations given from time to time, although, the nurses point to the need of specializing the whole staff to attend this type of clientele. We are able to understand that it's essential to the integrality of the basic attention the establishment of an interface with the actions of mental health.

Key words: Mental health services; Mental health; Nursing.