Table 3 Verbatims for each category and subcategory

Category 1: Reasons for urgent assistance

 A. Self-care. “The psychiatrist told me that if I ever feel bad, I should go there right away (to Mental Health), although I try to hold on.” (Woman with bipolar disorder and disability, urban area)

 B. Self-care. “You don’t know how to act when he’ s unwell. No matter how hard I fight, I have no answers and no one comes to help me.” (Female caregiver with intense overload, rural area)

 C. Social support. “My experience in the village is not very gratifying. There is very little access to psychiatric consultations and emergency services; you have to travel for everything. At the moment, I find myself alone.” (Female caregiver with intense overload and family dysfunction, rural area)

 D. Social support. “I’m very frightened by this COVID thing, I’m stuck at home all day. I go out as little as possible, I find myself more lonely and I am very stressed.” (Man with depressive disorder and disability, urban area)

 E. Accessibility and continuity of care. “There’s a long wait for a checkup and when you need it the most, they’re not there. So, you have to go to the emergency department.” (Female caregiver with intense overload, urban area)

 F. Accessibility and continuity of care. “I’ve put on weight because of the pandemic and because of the naps. And he doesn’t sleep at all, I need to rest. It’s awful, and without an appointment I can’t consult anyone.” (Female caregiver with intense overload, urban area)

Category 2: Urgent care options

 G. Trust. “When you go to the emergency room, you are attended by young people, who you don’t know, but they are very nice, very friendly. We have been lucky to have met some very, very nice doctors” (Female caregiver with intense overload, urban area)

 H. Information on the health care system. “I go to the Public Health Insurance as well as to the private sector. They treat him there as if he were family, you know…” (Female caregiver with poor family function, rural area)

 I. Telephone assistance. “It would be very good if we had fast access to care, a telephone number to speak directly to the psychiatrist.” (Woman with bipolar disorder, urban area)

 J. Telephone assistance. “I need face-to-face consultations because I don’t have enough time to explain myself over the phone and to say all the things that are happening to me” (Man with schizophrenic disorder and disability, urban area)

 K. Telephone assistance “He (the private psychiatrist) assisted me several times over the phone and stayed on the phone as long as I needed. He resolved all the doubts I had and assisted me very well.” (Male caregiver, urban area)

Category 3: Satisfaction with the urgent care received

 L. Priority in assistance. “The waits are agonizing, I find it very difficult, I have to go outside. You spend a lot of hours waiting and they don’t call you.” (Woman with bipolar disorder and disability, urban area)

 M. Professional’s interest. “Then when you do go in (after having waited) and you only get five minutes (in the consulting room)… The doctor needs to be attentive, take a close look at your medication, chat a bit and let you tell him your doubts". (Woman with borderline personality disorder and major depression, urban area)

 N. Symptom-focused solutions. “They give you a tranquilizer, and at least you stop having that paranoia. Then you need to be seen by your psychiatrist in the consulting room.” (Woman with bipolar disorder and disability, urban area)