Common mental disorder in women and its possible impacts on the regional development of the Santa Catarina’s North Plateau

Abstract

Common mental disorder (CMD) is a health condition that includes non-psychotic symptoms, mental distress, functional disability, and may be related to other commonly known disorders, such as anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder. Prevalent in women, especially in social groups in situations of vulnerability, it brings the demand for the recognition of this disease scenario according to the territory and regionality, which is known worldwide that reflects on the measures and strategies in health care. Thus, the objective of this study was to study the prevalence of CMD in women assisted by the Social Assistance Reference Centers (CRAS) in the Northern Plateau Region of Santa Catarina, as well as to reflect on the possible impacts on regional development. For this, semi-structured questionnaires, applied via Google Forms, were used to analyze sociodemographic data and specific domains in the CMD screening (SRQ-20). Here we were able to identify a prevalence above 50% for CMD. In addition, of the ten municipalities analyzed, only two – Bela Vista do Toldo and Papanduva – had a prevalence of CMD lower than 50%. However, no predictive or protective factors for CMD were identified. In summary, it is recognized that these findings interfere in the projection of the regional development of the territory and the population in question. Based on these preliminary findings on this regional scenario, it is suggested that complementary studies be carried out that can elucidate the prevalence of CMD also in women outside the situation of social vulnerability in the Northern Plateau region of Santa Catarina, so that the risk factors and best health strategies for this problem can be analyzed.

Key words: mental health; social vulnerability; regional development.