MENTAL HEALTH, ILLNESS AND TEACHING WORK

ABSTRACT The perception of Elementary School teachers about their mental health was the focus of this research. This is a quantitative research that seeks to understand the perceptions of mental health conditions in public schools in the interior of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The data collection method used was a questionnaire adapted from the Mental Health and Work Protocol answered by 249 teachers. Data analysis was carried out using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences - SPSS 18 software. It was found, as main results, that satisfaction, motivation and identity indices with the teaching activity are very significant. Teachers indicate commitment to work, value the profession, but complain that socially they are not valued, but paradoxically are heavily medicated.