DEVELOPMENTS OF THE PANDEMIC IN MENTAL HEALTH INTERVENTIONS: THE ROLE OF THE SUS IN THE FEDERAL DISTRICT

Abstract

COVID-19 is a viral respiratory disease that manifests itself asymptomatically in some people and can present itself in three ways: mild cases; moderate cases; and cases that evolve to the manifestation of the disease with greater severity, which can lead to death. The first records of the disease occurred at the end of 2019, in China. COVID-19 quickly spread on a global stage, being declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization in March 2020. In Brazil, the Ministry of Health indicates that COVID-19 led to the death of more than 700 thousand people by May 2023, when the WHO decreed the end of the pandemic. This paper discusses the consequences of mental health intervention in SUS services in the Federal District, the capital of Brazil during the pandemic. This research used the qualitative, descriptive-exploratory and cross-sectional method with 30 mental health professionals from the Federal District.  Recurrent themes were identified in the professionals' speeches, such as: fear and insecurity and mental health intervention strategies. It was possible to observe the creative strategies implemented by professionals to maintain mental health care, such as whatsapp groups, online therapeutic groups, such as: theater workshops; individual and family care and adaptations in physical environments for continuity of care.