MENTAL HEALTH IN BRAZIL AND ITS CURRENT CHALLENGES

Abstract

The study aimed to discuss the current situation of mental health care in Brazil and the main challenges faced today, linking a historical overview of psychiatric care to the reorganization of services and practices grounded in community-based and rights-oriented approaches. A qualitative narrative literature review was conducted, including the identification and selection of Brazilian publications related to the topic, in order to map key milestones in the transformation of the care model, contemporary barriers, and opportunities for improving the care network. The findings indicate that, although Psychiatric Reform has fostered a gradual shift from hospitalization-centered practices toward territorial and community services, significant challenges remain, including unequal service coverage, access barriers, limited human resources, fragmented follow-up, and weak coordination among care points, which directly affects continuity of care and social reintegration. The analysis also highlights that social stigma and exclusion still shape how psychological suffering is recognized, how individuals seek help, and how families provide support, sometimes reinforcing control-oriented and overly medicalized responses. The study concludes that sustaining progress requires strengthening integrated community care networks, ensuring ongoing workforce training, and supporting public policies that enable long-term, comprehensive care grounded in rights, citizenship, and continuity.