Regarding mental health problems in Portugal the most vulnerable groups seem to exhibit a higher risk than in the rest of Europe. the organisational model remains excessively centred on doctors and on intra-hospital interventions. Investment in human resources has a central role in the new Portuguese Mental Heath Plan.

To evaluate the profile of the MH teams and its adequacy to the MH needs of the population.

National survey covering every public MH service.

Portugal (10 million inhabitants) has 2500 MH professionals in the public MH services, concentrated in Lisbon, Oporto and Coimbra. for less that half the population, these 3 cities have 72% of total psychiatrists, 74% of the child psychiatrists, 70% of psychologists, 71% of MH Nurses, 68% of all OT's and 75% of SW's.

The rural regions (10% of total population) have about 4% of total psychiatrists and child psychiatrists, undermining access to care.

Hospitals assisting the same number of population can have ratio asymmetries of number of psychiatrists/population between 1.3/100 000 and 12.6/100 000.▮

The scarcity of resources is a factor that hampered the improvement of MH services in Portugal. MH teams continue to rely on a small number of psychologists, nurses, social workers, occupational therapists and other non-medical professionals, with most teams maintaining the traditional model of delivery of care.

The management and financing model of the services represents a restraint to the development of MH services.