Caps: a quarter of the units needed

Brasília 247 – On the days when the Health Secretariat is promoting Mental Health Week and the University of Brasília is holding Anti-Asylum Struggle Week, Ileo Costa, a professor at the Institute of Psychology at UnB, criticizes the situation in this area in the Federal District. According to the Ministry of Health, ideally there should be one Psychosocial Care Center (CAPS) for every 100 inhabitants. The average in the Federal District is 0,25 per 100.

"We submitted the 2010-1015 Mental Health Plan, which provides for 43 CAPS (Psychosocial Care Centers) in the Federal District, but so far we only have 13 units. Therapeutic residences are also lacking; Brasília is the only state in the federation that doesn't have one," says Costa.

The other problem is the way the healthcare system treats mental health. "Some general hospitals have refused to provide support for the hospitalization of psychiatric patients. Not to mention that the coordination of the network, due to the low coverage of services, is absolutely deficient," explained the professor.

The creation of new units is one of the objectives of the Health Secretariat, affirms the Director of Mental Health of the Federal District Government (GDF), Augusto Faria. According to surveys, between 20% and 25% of the population has or will have some mental disorder during their lifetime. About 3% of these present severe psychiatric conditions. Meanwhile, 6% of cases are related to alcohol and other drug abuse. "Our master plan foresees the creation of new units, mainly psychosocial care centers," emphasizes Faria.

CAPS are centers for the treatment of mental disorders, alcohol and other drugs, especially for children and adolescents.

Mental Health Week

The State Health Department is holding the eighth Mental Health Week in the Federal District. Activities began on Saturday, May 12th, and will continue until the 23rd. The program includes lectures, seminars, and roundtables for professionals, as well as events dedicated to patients of the São Vicente de Paulo Hospital in Taguatinga.

This year's Mental Health Week theme is the National Drug Policy. The goal of the Mental Health Directorate of the Health Secretariat, in association with local social movements, is to deepen the discussion on prevention, abuse, approach, and appropriate treatment for drug users and their families. The occasion also serves to commemorate 25 years of the anti-asylum movement in the Federal District.

Until the 23rd, activities will be developed in the various administrative regions of the Federal District. The highlight of the program will be the large meeting of participants, scheduled for May 18th – National Day of the Anti-Asylum Struggle – in the auditorium of the Foundation for Teaching and Research in Health Sciences (Fepecs) starting at 8 am. On the agenda, the round table "Towards a Non-Asylum National Drug Policy" and the public event that will take place at the Psychosocial Care Centers (Caps) at the Bus Station (former Touring) starting at 14 pm.

Check out the full schedule at Health Department website.

Anti-Asylum Struggle Week

The University of Brasília (UnB) is holding the Anti-Asylum Struggle Week until Friday the 18th. The event has been held since 2007, in commemoration of the National Day of the Struggle against Asylums, celebrated on May 18th.

"We want to make a political statement in a participatory and constructive way," said Ileno. Throughout the five days of the meeting, in addition to the anti-asylum movement, violence, crime, human rights, and sexual abuse, among other topics, will be debated. "In the first edition of the event, we brought some psychiatric patients to the University. Some people were shocked, but it's necessary to get used to it in order to break down prejudices," stated the professor.

The Vice-Rector of UnB, João Batista de Sousa, participates in the movement and says that the mental health situation in the Federal District needs more attention. "It hasn't been treated as a priority. The Week reflects the effort of a dialogue with the key players in the field from various areas and at all levels," he said during the event's opening. The solution, according to João Batista, lies in investing in research, training, and education.

The anti-asylum movement began in the 70s and brought benefits to patients such as psychiatric reform, which resulted in Law 10.216 of 2001, protecting the rights of people with mental disorders and redirecting the care model in mental health.
On Thursday (17), Augusto Cesar, director of Mental Health at GDF, will participate, at 10 am, in the debate "How is mental health in the DF?". The Week ends on Friday with the 1st Cycle of Lectures on Sexual Abuse. See the Full schedule for the week..

With information from UnB Agência and Agência Brasília.