In therapeutic advances context of mental care patients, community services are essential to maintenance treatment of people with severe mental disorders especially in people egress of psychiatric hospitalization cases. This research aim was to evaluate use of instruments to collect relevant information about maintenance treatment in a community mental health service.

A two years quantitative and cross-sectional study developed in a community mental health service in Ribeirao Preto city- Sao Paulo - Brazil. The sample was egress patients and their family caregivers. It was utilizing a monthly nursing interview with following during six months with each patient and caregiver, to apply: sociodemographic and clinical questions; Structured Clinical Interview for Brief Psychiatric rating Scale (SIG-BPRS); Brief Psychiatric rating Scale (SIG-BPRS); Morisky-Green Adhesion Test; Family Burden Rating Scale (brazilian version - FIBS-BR).

In this satudy participated 40 patients and 15 family caregivers. Between patients majority was women and diagnosis most prevalent was Schizophrenia and mood disorders. The psychiatric symptoms manifestation presents low degrees and medication adhesion treatment was low in 78% of patients. Family care givers was women in 96% of sample and 80% presents medium to high degrees of burden.

The instruments utilized was important to evidence how patients and their caregivers was in maintenance of community treatment and collaborate to mental health professionals assistance systematization. The use of validated instruments can offer important information to mental health care in community services and maintenance treatments.