Brazil health seminars address drug policy and mental health care

Health professionals and researchers in Brazil are convening to discuss drug policy, mental health care, and the impact of psychiatric medications.

At a national seminar hosted by the State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ), Ellen Márcia Peres of the Federal Council of Nursing (Cofen) highlighted the development of a national nursing protocol. This protocol aims to improve care for individuals in crisis due to the use of alcohol and other psychoactive substances, following an immersion workshop involving experts from the University of Michigan.

Additionally, Fiocruz is organizing the 10th International Seminar, ‘The Epidemic of Psychiatric Drugs,’ scheduled for October 2026 in Rio de Janeiro. The event will focus on rethinking mental health care, addressing the medicalization of life, and discussing the challenges posed by the increasing use of psychotropic drugs through a human rights and psychosocial lens.