This paper, originated in a quali-quantitative study, attempted to analyze the practices of Mental Health in Family Health Strategy teams from Brazlândia, Federal District, Brazil, concerning their potential and limits for delivering integral care to people with mental distresses in primary care. Interviews were conducted with the professionals who were trained in Mental Health. The analysis employed the method of the Discourse of the Collective Subject. The results showed that the population has limited access to mental health care, due to the lack of structured support network. There was also low capacity to solve mental health problems in the context of FHS, since the actions developed emphasize outpatient appointments and referrals to medical admissions in hospitals, what shows both the still hegemonic biomedical conception in the practices, as the dismantling of a network to ensure integral care. These results lead to the debate of qualifications of the FHS teams in mental health, in order to recognize and enjoy the potential of the bond established between teams and users/families.
Family Health Strategy; Primary Care; Mental Health