USE OF PSYCHOTROPIC DRUGS AMONG HEALTH STUDENTS AT A PUBLIC UNIVERSITY IN GOIÂNIA – GOIÁS: REFLECTIONS FOR PUBLIC HEALTH MANAGEMENT

Abstract

Mental health is global well-being, which allows people to manage thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and interactions with others, and with social, cultural, economic, and political factors. On the contrary, mental disorder is a clinical disorder, with broad problems and with several symptoms, in all areas of life, which generates a biological and psychological alteration, capable of generating family, social and occupational problems that are often necessary for the use of psychotropic drugs. Thus, the objective of this study was to identify the use of psychotropic drugs in health students. Adescriptive study with a quantitative approach was carried out at a public university in the state of Goiás (GO), with students who answered the Self Report Questtionaire-20 questionnaire and a form with sociodemographic questions, physical health and habits. The sample was composed of 105 academics, most of whom were female, aged between 17 and 23 years, formed by a heterosexual and Christian majority. Represented by most of the physiotherapy course, followed by the Physical Education and Biomedicine course. The prevalence of Common Mental Disorder in the sample group was 71.43%. And the most used psychotropic drugs were: antidepressants, mood stabilizers, anxiolytics and antipsychotics. It is important to have public policies that subsidize actions for prevention and care for the mental health of students and reduce the use of psychotropic drugs.