Role of community health workers in addressing mental health in rural areas of Chiapas

Objective. To analyze, from the perspective of community health workers (CHW), the knowledge and experiences in mental health care (MH), in rural communities in Chiapas. Materials and methods. The descriptive phenomenological approach was used. Eighteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with CHW, which were audiorecorded, transcribed, codified and analyzed using qualitative content analysis with the help of Atlas ti. Results. Mental CHW have a broad understanding of the culture, language and problems of their communities, allowing them to act as liaisons between health services and the population. They identify that there is good MH when a "person is in the mood to do their daily work" and illness when "people are suffering or have wicked thoughts". Their work experiences are linked to individual accompaniment (psycho-education) and the support of activities carried out by professionals of Companeros En Salud (CES). Conclusion. The mental CHW who work with CES, develop an important role in the promotion of mental health, of risks and accompaniment of patients with mental disorders.These findings contribute to strengthen the evidence on the importance of developing community interventions in MH through these personnel, in contexts of scarce availability of health services.