The Neoliberal Logic in Public Health and its Repercussions for the Mental Health of CAPS Workers
(2017)
Florence A C, Bernardo MH, Revista de Psicologia da UNESP. 2017; 16: 60-74
Abstract:
This article is the result of research in which we sought to investigate how the current neoliberal logic has been absorbed in public health and its repercussions for the mental health of workers. To this end, we opted for the use of a qualitative methodology and in-depth reflective interviews were carried out with professionals from different health services in a city in the interior of São Paulo. Here, we discuss the results referring specifically to the Psychosocial Care Centers (CAPS) – which are substitute devices for the asylum, intended for mental health care in the SUS network – based on two in-depth reflective interviews. The interviewees revealed that the precariousness of work in the CAPS can be identified in several aspects: forms of hiring, number of hours worked, insufficient equipment in relation to the territory’s demand, number of workers less than necessary. The combination of these elements produces wear and tear that adds to that resulting from the care of mental health users. The interviewees’ speeches also indicate that such a precarious situation at work is seen by them in a fatalistic way, as an inevitable situation, even though they demonstrate an understanding of the possible changes in the current scenario. Read more …