Meaning-making and perspectives on mental health among Primary Care users

Authors

  • Arlane Ferreira de Moraes Universidade de Pernambuco - UPE, campus Garanhuns/PE - Brasil
  • Juliana Catarine Barbosa da Silva Universidade de Pernambuco – UPE, campus Garanhuns/PE – Brasil

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15536/thema.V24.2025.28-49.3553

Keywords:

mental health, primary care, female users

Abstract

This study is a qualitative research conducted from a social constructionist perspective in a small town in Pernambuco's Agreste region. It aims to understand and analyze the construction of meaning about mental health by Primary Care female users. The sample consisted of ten women who use mental health services. The results and discussion are organized into three lines of analysis: 1) Meaning-making about mental health; 2) Mental health care in Basic Health Units; and 3) The role of psychology and its interventions within the community. The findings reveal that mental health care in Primary Care is primarily shaped by medicalization and the delegation of demands to specialists as central care strategies. Additionally, they highlight possibilities of fragmentation and lack of network coordination, emphasizing the need for attentive listening and validation of users' life stories, potentials, and vulnerabilities within Primary Care spaces.

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Author Biographies

Arlane Ferreira de Moraes , Universidade de Pernambuco - UPE, campus Garanhuns/PE - Brasil

Juliana Catarine Barbosa da Silva, Universidade de Pernambuco – UPE, campus Garanhuns/PE – Brasil

Published

2025-01-31

How to Cite

MORAES , A. F. de; SILVA, J. C. B. da. Meaning-making and perspectives on mental health among Primary Care users. Revista Thema, Pelotas, v. 24, n. 1, p. 28–49, 2025. DOI: 10.15536/thema.V24.2025.28-49.3553. Disponível em: https://periodicos.ifsul.edu.br/index.php/thema/article/view/3553. Acesso em: 5 feb. 2025.

Issue

Section

Ciências da Saúde