Matrix support in Family Health Units: experiencing innovations in mental health

Abstract

The Psychiatric Reform aims to overcome the traditional interventions concerning "madness", which are hospital-centered and medicine-based. To achieve this, its objective is to implement territorial and integral care strategies, supported by new knowledge and cultural values. In this perspective, the Matrix Support emerges as a proposal to articulate mental healthcare with Primary Care. This study aims to discuss the perspective of technicians from Unidades de Saúde da Família (USF - Family Health Units) of the municipality of Natal, state of Rio Grande do Norte, concerning this proposal. Interviews with eight technicians of the USF of the East Sanitary District of the city were conducted. Based on the results, we observed that the proposal for Matrix Support is not clear and there is a strong daily mental health demand that has not been met, as the interviewees do not feel qualified to perform this service and indicate the need of support and training in this field. In addition, the referral possibilities are limited, due to the precariousness of the network of substitutive services and of these with the network of Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS - National Health System) as a whole. Shared work with Centro de Atenção Psicossocial (CAPS - Center for Psychosocial Care) is still a promise.