Objective: to describe and analyze the role of expert nurses in mental health in the Family Health Strategy.
Method: a qualitative study, with 20 Basic Health Units nurses of Teresina, Piauí. The information was collected through semi-structured interviews from March to May 2017 and analyzed using the content analysis method.
Results: it was found that the conceptions of the mental health disease process were based on the biological model, there was little communication between mental health and basic network, nurses did not feel qualified to work mental health and there were few mental health actions in Primary Care. Final considerations: it becomes urgent to implement public policies that articulate mental health and Primary Care, raising awareness and continuing education for nurses.