Psychological assistance provided to patients diagnosed with depression in primary care.

The scope of this research was to understand the assistance provided by psychologists to patients diagnosed with depression in the municipal health care network. In this study, the phenomenon is examined from its broader perspective, taking the psychosocial dimensions of health into account. A group of 22 psychologists participated in this study of a qualitative nature. Data collection began with participant in-field observation of the institutional context followed by semi-structured interviews. Grounded theory methodology was used to analyze information, thereby facilitating its integration and categorization.The results revealed that in the primary care network the treatment of depression is essentially restricted to its biological aspect; the choice of individual psychotherapy as the main form of treatment refers to traditional practices of psychological care for depression; the use of institutional and community methods as part of the therapeutic approach suggests mental health interventions that address the psychosocial dimension. The findings indicate that transcending the traditional models of care for patients with depression and the construction of forms of treatment using psychosocial resources are ongoing, indicating that comprehensive care needs to be further consolidated in primary care.