SOCIOENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINANTS AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE HEALTH–DISEASE–CARE PROCESS IN MENTAL HEALTH

Abstract

Mental health results from complex interactions among biological, psychological, social, and environmental factors and is strongly influenced by socioenvironmental determinants such as work, education, poverty, housing, urbanization, discrimination, social exclusion, and culture. The high global burden of mental disorders and their relevance as a public health problem highlight the need to deepen the historical and social understanding of these determinants within the health–disease–care process. In this context, this study aims to understand the socio-historical development of environmental and social determinants of health and to elucidate their relationship with the production of mental health care, with emphasis on the Brazilian context. This is a theoretical-bibliographic study with a qualitative and analytical-interpretative approach, grounded in the critical analysis of classical works in collective health and mental health, as well as technical documents from national and international organizations. The results show that conceptions of health, illness, and care are historically constructed and conditioned by social, economic, political, and cultural contexts, directly influencing care models and mental health practices. A progressive transition is observed from magical-religious and biologicist explanations to approaches that recognize the social determination of psychological suffering. It is concluded that acknowledging socioenvironmental determinants is essential for the formulation of integrated and intersectoral public policies aimed at promoting mental health, reducing social inequalities, and preventing psychological distress.