Healthcare professionals' perception of mental health in primary care.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize the mental health care provided in Primary Care from the perception of health professionals in the cities to the 5th Regional Health Center of the state of Parana. METHOD: An exploratory qualitative research. Participants were 121 health professionals working in primary care in the 20 cities of 5th Regional Health Center of the state of Parana. Twenty-two focus groups were recorded, transcribed and analyzed by content analysis. RESULTS: Five thematic categories emerged, of which two were analyzed in this study: actions that professionals consider to be mental health actions; mental health actions developed by Primary Care professionals. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS: Despite of the indications of inclusion of mental health actions in Primary Care, this relationship is still occasional and unplanned. Policies that foster this interaction from a psychosocial perspective are needed.