Assessing Brazil's Mental Health System
Author Information
Author(s): Mateus Mario D, Mari Jair J, Delgado Pedro GG, Almeida-Filho Naomar, Barrett Thomas, Gerolin Jeronimo, Goihman Samuel, Razzouk Denise, Rodriguez Jorge, Weber Renata, Andreoli Sergio B, Saxena Shekhar
Primary Institution: Universidade Federal de São Paulo
Hypothesis
What is the current state of the mental health system in Brazil regarding human resources and available services?
Conclusion
Brazil's mental health services are innovative but unevenly distributed, with a growing treatment gap that needs addressing.
Supporting Evidence
- There are 6003 psychiatrists and 18763 psychologists in Brazil.
- The average length of stay in mental hospitals is 65.29 days.
- Brazil has 848 Community Psychosocial Centers (CAPS) registered.
- The number of psychiatric beds is 27.17 per 100,000 inhabitants.
- Psychologists outnumber other mental health professionals in all regions.
Takeaway
This study looks at how Brazil takes care of people's mental health and finds that while there are some good programs, not everyone gets the help they need.
Methodology
Data was collected using the WHO Assessment Instrument for Mental Health Systems and additional national datasets.
Limitations
There is a lack of firm data on the impact of mental health policies and no tangible indicators to assess their effectiveness.
Participant Demographics
{"population":"188 million","age_distribution":{"15-64 years":"68.1%","0-14 years":"25.8%","65 years and over":"6.1%"},"ethnic_groups":{"White":"53.7%","Mulatto":"38.5%","Black":"6.2%","Others":"0.9%"},"religion":{"Roman Catholic":"73.6%","Protestant":"15.4%","Spiritualist":"1.3%","Santeria":"0.3%"}}
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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