Healthcare professionals' perception of mental health in primary care

To characterize the mental health care provided in Primary Care from the perception of health professionals in the cities to the 5th Regional Health Center of the state of Paraná.

An exploratory qualitative research. Participants were 121 health professionals working in primary care in the 20 cities of 5th Regional Health Center of the state of Parana. Twenty-two focus groups were recorded, transcribed and analyzed by content analysis.

Five thematic categories emerged, of which two were analyzed in this study: actions that professionals consider to be mental health actions; mental health actions developed by Primary Care professionals.

Despite of the indications of inclusion of mental health actions in Primary Care, this relationship is still occasional and unplanned. Policies that foster this interaction from a psychosocial perspective are needed.