Common Mental Disorders and the use of psychotropic drugs among workers in Primary Care in a medium-sized city in São Paulo state, Brazil

Abstract Objective To identify the prevalence of Common Mental Disorders (CMD) and the use of psychotropics, as well as the characteristics associated with these outcomes among primary care workers in a medium-sized municipality in São Paulo state, Brazil. Methods This is a cross-sectional study conducted with 158 primary care workers between August and November 2019. To identify CMD, the Self-Report Questionnaire (SRQ-20) was used, adopting a cutoff point of 6/7. The use of psychotropics was evaluated through a specific question and considered both current use and reported previous use. Results The prevalence of CMD found was 34.8%, while the prevalence of current psychotropic use was 20.2%. Additionally, 17.1% of participants reported previous use. Variables related to CMD prevalence referred to different dimensions of worker satisfaction with the service they work in, including overall satisfaction with the service. Current psychotropic use was related to satisfaction with the worker’s participation in the service they work in. Conclusion How the studied professionals feel about the service they work in may be strongly related to the occurrence of CMD and the use of psychotropics.