The challenges of regionalized psychosocial care in Brazil

The State of Paraná structured a regionalized mental health service that unified more than one piece of equipment, and the objective of this research is to evaluate work processes, care paradigms and their organizational logics. The service, a reference for 20 municipalities, consists of 2 CAPS and 2 Welcoming Units. This was qualitative research, with participant observation and interviews with professionals and service managers. The distance from the territories served seems to strengthen normative aspects of clinical care that resemble the total institution. The unification of different types of services in a single location reinforced economic rationality and the resulting shortage of professionals. The results indicate the need to establish evaluation processes for these new experiences, as well as highlighting the inevitability of organizing services with smaller coverage territories, ensuring proximity to the community served.