O alcoolismo, suas causas e tratemento nas representacoes sociais de profissionais de Saude da Familia = Alcoholism, its causes and treatment in the social representations constructed by Brazilian Family Health professionals

Health sciences define alcoholism as a multifaceted syndrome. Guidelines for treatment include adoption of the harm reduction paradigm and the essential role of Primary Health Care (PHC) towards the wide range of alcohol problems. This research aimed at understanding the social representations of alcoholism constructed by Brazilian PHC professionals, working at Family Health Centers (FHC). We conducted semi-structured interviews with 40 graduated health professionals who worked in 11 different FHC located in a municipality in southeast Brazil. Data were treated with thematic content analysis. We highlight the following results: professionals objectified the alcoholic as a patient who did not search for treatment and/or who threatened the normal functioning of the FHC; professionals considered social and psychological factors as the main causes of alcoholism; they did not mention the concept of harm reduction, nor well-defined treatment protocols. The causal attribution and the representational field inherent to the social representations contributed to anchor alcoholism as a "plague" of poverty. The FHC were perceived simultaneously as important and impotent towards alcoholism. We conclude that the implementation of alcohol-related care strategies must consider the intergroup relations between professionals and patients

Saude mental na estrategia saude da familia : revisao da literatura brasileira = Mental health in the Family Health Strategy : a review of Brazilian literature

The Family Health Strategy establishes the principles of the Brazilian Primary Health Care and shares important goals with the Psychiatric Reform. The principles of territory-centered care and longitudinal care should enhance innovative actions of mental health promotion, prevention and rehabilitation. The aim of this review was to analyze the main themes approached by the Brazilian scientific literature concerning mental health in the Family Health Strategy. We read the titles of 267 articles published between 1999 and 2009. We followed specific criteria to select 38 articles for thematic analysis. The main themes were the demands in mental health, the perceptions and practices of health personnel and the role of the psychologist in Primary Care. The publications identified several problems: stereotypical views about mental disorders, the dominance of the hospitalization rationale, and the absence of clinical reports, strategies, qualified support to families and integrated health actions. The qualitative meta-analysis indicated questions that may strengthen the debate on the topic, the reflection on further research and on professional practice in the interface between Mental Health and Family Health