Prevent Depression: Improving Access to Brazil's Mental Health Services

Brazil consistently ranks as one of the most violent and socially inequitable countries across the globe. Both violence and social inequality are associated with depression, resulting in Brazil having a high prevalence of the disease compared to other countries. Depression leaves a large burden on the residents of Brazil in terms of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), resulting in higher utilization of health-care services, more hospitalizations, and lost productivity. Brazil is deinstitutionalizing mental health care by utilizing Psychosocial Community Centers (CAPS) to provide mental healthcare to the population. However, there are a lack of centers in lower socioeconomic areas consequently creating a discrepancy in coverage and access to mental healthcare. Other Latin American countries such as Chile and Panama have taken steps to improve access to mental health via integrating primary care and mental healthcare. Brazil can utilize similar ideas, along with better education of primary care staff to improve access to mental healthcare.