Mental health promotion in the community: conceptual analysis

• Autor(a) principal: Pacheco, Ana
• Data de Publicação: 2019
• Outros Autores: Martins, Jorge, Simões, Mário
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: https://doi.org/10.34632/cadernosdesaude.2019.5166

Introduction: Recently, neuropsychiatry has focused almost exclusively on the correction of pathophysiological changes, inevitably neglecting certain psychosomatic factors of chronic diseases in the community. It is thus necessary to develop and apply mental health that uses a more comprehensive approach in the treatment of disabling diseases and in primary health care. Aim: This study aims to review the effect of self-awareness and awareness of morbidity, as described subjectively by patients during psychotherapeutic interventions or by healthy adults in meditative practices. Materials and Methods: To assess the effect described, a conceptual analysis is proposed as a method. Reviewing the current literature on the "state of the art" of brain dynamics and the psychoneuroimmunological axis, the correlation between the patient's subjective experience and affective and cognitive neuroscience was tested. As a research hypothesis, it was intended to highlight the scientific paradigms used to study the effect described above. Results: The current limitation on the integration of psychotherapeutic approaches in understanding well-being and mental health prevention is presented, as well as the need for its implementation in general and family medicine and in the community psychiatry. Self-awareness and awareness of morbidity promotes physical and mental well-being and contributes to the development of non-pathological emotional traits. Classical psychotherapy, as well as meditation, allows the individual to access his internal representations, providing the mental space necessary to work on affections and cognitions. The clinical access to these internal representations is important not only in the treatment of disabling diseases, but also indispensable in primary health care. Conclusion: The physician, by promoting the physical and mental health of the individual, his family and the community, has a predominant role in the adhesion to the assumptions of good clinical practices. The research hypothesis defended by this conceptual analysis presents ground for the debate of a community medicine more focused on inducing policies for mental well-being, for self-awareness and for morbidity awareness. These mental health policies in the community are currently considered to be objectives of the general and family medicine health program, namely the person-centered approach, which aims at training and empowering the patient or healthy individual as the prime agent responsible for his own health.