Abstract
The Psychiatric Reform movement and the recent guidelines in the field of Primary Health Care redirect the model of mental health care in Brazil and make great achievements possible. In this context, this article addresses the mental health outpatient clinic with the objective of affirming it as a fundamental and potent device in the psychosocial care network. Taking the clinic as the main axis, the discussion carried out mainly follows theoretical contributions of reference on the foundations of the field of psychosocial care, public health and mental health policies, besides considering the theoretical-clinical contributions of authors crossed by psychoanalysis and inserted in the field of mental health, as well as the long experience of the authors in this field. The clinical dimension regarding the outpatient clinic is highlighted, with the strong power of this device being attributed to a certain way of exercising it, to the different modalities offered, to the organization of services and to the reception and follow-up of a particular clientele. Finally, it is argued that, from an attitude that awakens to the clinic, a powerful mental health clinic in a psychosocial care network effectively promotes the desired work towards the territory and, therefore, for the true deinstitutionalization.
Keywords:
mental health; psychosocial care; outpatient clinic; clinic