Brazil Launches Nationwide โMental health Screeningโค Tool to Accelerate Care within Public โSystem
Brasรญlia, DF – November 24, 2025 – Brazil’s Unified Health System (SUS) is rolling out a new โmental health โscreening โขtool, โฃCuidaSM, nationwide, aiming toโ expedite access to care adn shift focus from diagnosis โคto holistic well-being. The โฃinitiative,currently being implementedโฃ across several states,is expected toโ reach the entire country by 2026,potentially impacting millions of patients.
CuidaSM distinguishes itself by assessing dimensions of life affected by or affecting mental โhealth, rather than focusing on traditional diagnostic questions. “We don’t โask diagnostic questions. The โขscale addresses dimensions of life that are affected or affect your mental health. And we are talking about mental health, not โคthe illness โฃprocess,” explained a source โfamiliar with the tool’s development. This approach is intended to reduce stigma and encourageโ individuals to seek help for a broader range of mental health needs.
The โฃscale’s implementation is especially important โfor primary healthcare,considered the primary entry point for mental health โคservices within the SUS.โ Josรฉ Eudes Barroso Vieira, โdirector of โcommunityโ Health Strategies and โPolicies at the โMinistry of โHealth, emphasized the tool’s value: “Primary health care (PHC) is the preferred gateway and coordinator of health care โin the SUS,โ including direct action in mental health, with early โidentification of signs of psychological distress, case management and coordination with other services within the scopeโค of the Psychosocial Care Network. The incorporation of the โCuidaSM scale appears as an innovation in offering guidance for the โassessment of mental health care needs โwith an expanded approach, which considers multiple factors beyond symptoms or diagnoses.”
Brazil boasts a substantial network of healthcare teams poised to utilize CuidaSM, including 55,140 familyโ health teams, 36,756 oral health teams, andโค overโฃ 13,000 other co-financed multidisciplinary teams. The periodic submission of theโ scale will allow for dynamic care plan adjustments based on evolving โpatient needs,according to project leads.
The move addresses โฃa โcritical โขneed to streamline care and โคoptimize resource allocation within the SUS. “Primary care has to be able to take care of the โmost common conditions. Nobody thinks that there has to be a cardiologist for every hypertensive person, an endocrinologist forโค every diabetic. If the CAPS is full of common conditions, whoโ will โคtreat the serious conditions that need more intensity and care?” argued a healthcare administrator involved inโ the rollout.
The CuidaSM project is supported by Umane, a โขcivil association dedicated to promoting public health initiatives.
