BETWEEN TERRITORIES AND INEQUALITIES IN MENTAL HEALTH CARE IN PRIMARY HEALTH CARE: AN INTEGRATIVE REVIEW OF NATIONAL RESEARCH (2002-2015)

Abstract

Introduction: Psychological suffering, in the context of Primary Health Care (PHC), is inscribed in the concrete living conditions and inequalities that permeate territories, requiring an interpretation that articulates social determinants, vulnerabilities, and the organization of care. Recent Brazilian scientific production has broadened this debate, although it does not always consistently integrate territory, inequalities, and care practices. Objective: To analyze how national scientific production published between 2020 and 2025 has articulated territory and inequalities in the organization of mental health care in PHC, identifying mobilized theoretical categories, ways of incorporating these categories into practices, and persistent gaps. Method: Integrative literature review conducted in the BVS, SciELO, PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science databases, using descriptors related to mental health, social determinants, territorialization, and Primary Care, combined with Boolean operators. After applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria and following the PRISMA recommendations, five articles comprised the final corpus. Results: The studies converge in recognizing social determinants as an explanatory reference for mental illness and in situating the territory as a lived space, traversed by power relations, precariousness, and disputes that interfere with access to and continuity of care. Associations between mental suffering and socioeconomic conditions, weaknesses in the organization of the work process, and inequalities in the recognition of cases are evident. However, analytical fragmentation is observed, with gaps in the integration between theoretical categories and the concrete reorganization of practices in primary health care. Conclusion: The incorporation of social determinants and the territorial perspective qualifies the organization of mental health care in primary health care by shifting the focus from the individual response to the understanding of the conditions that produce suffering. Integrating territory and inequalities in health practice implies recognizing care as an ethical and political action committed to reducing inequities and producing citizenship.