Fourth Generation Evaluation: interventions carried out in mental health crisis care

Abstract

This article aims to evaluate intervention practices in mental health crisis care in an urgent and emergency service. This is a qualitative study, which used the Fourth Generation Assessment as a theoretical-methodological path. The setting was an Emergency Care Unit, located in the interior of the state of Rio Grande do Sul. 18 health professionals who worked in the unit participated. Data were collected through participant observation and interviews using the Hermeneutic-Dialetic Circle. And, analyzed by the Constant Comparative Method. The main intervention practices in mental health crisis care demonstrated in the evaluation process were physical restraints, excessive medication, requesting support from the police force and little use of qualified listening. These interventions demonstrate a challenge for psychosocial care, which is based on deinstitutionalization, the defense of human rights and the participation of people with mental disorders in treatment. This research can contribute to the deconstruction of the asylum paradigm that, in crisis situations, sees guardianship, control and violence as the only intervention options.