MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS’ INITIAL COMPREHENSIONS ABOUT “DRUGS” AND THEIR FORMATIVE EXPERIENCES

Abstract

This article sought to analyze, through interviews with mental health professionals, how their educational trajectories were shaped in relation to psychoactive substances (PAS), with a particular focus on psychedelic substances. A qualitative approach was used, with semi-structured interviews and sampling by theoretical saturation. The results show that professionals with a broader perspective on PAS and harm reduction had undergone very specific training. This data highlights a lack of content on the subject in universities and general education programs, which results in the absence of a consolidated critical debate. This gap fosters a superficial, limited, and reductionist view of PAS in academic environments and discourages professionals from adopting other approaches such as harm reduction. It is concluded that there is a growing demand to address this topic, both in foundational education and continuing education, as well as the need for a broader debate in the health field and society, in order to reduce stigma and expand understanding and access to new therapeutic possibilities that could benefit the population.