TERRITORY, EQUITY, AND MENTAL HEALTH: ANALYSIS OF THE COVERAGE OF THE PSYCHOSOCIAL CARE NETWORK FOR QUILOMBOLA COMMUNITIES IN THE STATE OF AMAPÁ

Abstract

The organization of the Psychosocial Care Network (RAPS) constitutes one of the main pillars of the Brazilian Psychiatric Reform, grounded in the territorialization of care and the guarantee of access to mental health services. However, in Amazonian states, the mere administrative distribution of specialized services may not ensure equitable access for traditional populations. This study aimed to analyze the territorial coverage of the Psychosocial Care Network in relation to the distribution of Quilombola communities in the State of Amapá, identifying strengths, inequalities, and challenges for promoting equity in access to mental health care. This is a qualitative, documentary study with an exploratory and descriptive-analytical design, based on the analysis of official documents, data from the 2022 Demographic Census conducted by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), documents from the Health Department of the State of Amapá, and legislation related to the organization of the Psychosocial Care Network. As a methodological strategy, the Territorial Equity Analysis Model for the Psychosocial Care Network (MAET-RAPS) was developed, structured around the dimensions of service coverage, territorial coverage, potential accessibility, territorial equity, and territorial vulnerability. The results showed that the Quilombola population is distributed across 11 of the 16 municipalities in the state, whereas Psychosocial Care Centers (CAPS) are concentrated in only five municipalities, resulting in situations of regional dependency and potential territorial service gaps. The study proposes the concept of Territorial Equity in Mental Health as a framework for planning psychosocial care in Amazonian contexts and presents the MAET-RAPS as an analytical tool for assessing the territorial coverage of the Psychosocial Care Network, contributing to the development of public policies that are more responsive to the geographical, sociocultural, and ethnic-racial specificities of Quilombola communities.