Challenges Experienced by Family Health Strategy Professionals to Promote Adolescent Mental Health

Abstract

The integration of mental health into Primary Health Care (PHC) has been gradually occurring in various countries, aligned with the proposals to strengthen the Primary Care Network and the principles of anti-asylum movements. However, this process is often not preceded by a mapping and evaluation of the practices adopted by health professionals for the construction of local policies, making it relevant to investigate the challenges faced by these professionals in adolescent mental health care. Objectives: To identify and analyze the challenges experienced by the multiprofessional team of the Family Health Strategy (FHS) in carrying out actions to promote mental health with adolescents. Methodology: This is a descriptive-exploratory research, focused on the practices of promoting adolescent mental health. The study was conducted with professionals from the eight teams of the Family Health Program of the Oceanic Region of the municipality of Niterói – RJ, through the application of a questionnaire with open and closed questions, to characterize the actions of PHC professionals with adolescents. Results: The data reveal the unpreparedness of professionals to meet the demands of adolescents; absence of actions aimed at promoting mental health in PHC, lack of recreational and cultural spaces in the territory, lack of knowledge of the adolescent health care devices in the municipality, lack of intersectoral work, traumatic emotional experiences lived by professionals during their adolescence, and lack of guidelines for adolescent mental health care in PHC. Conclusion: Professionals do not consider themselves prepared to develop actions to promote adolescent mental health. In the absence of guidelines for attending this population, professionals primarily conduct brief counseling sessions with families and refer more severe cases to specialized services. Intersectoral work with the School Health Program was pointed out as an urgent and necessary challenge, but no concrete actions for its implementation were indicated. This study aims to contribute with guidelines to support adolescent mental health care policy.

Keywords: Adolescent Health; Mental Health; Health Promotion.