Functions of nursing professionals who contribute to optimum mental health care Section: TEACHING TO LEARN Authors1Mavidey Suárez Merino, 2Ariel Pérez González, 3Marta Otero Ceballos Position 1Licenciada en Enfermería. Maestrante en Enfermería. Profesora Asistente de la Facultad de Ciencias Médicas Juan Guiteras Gener, Matanzaa, Cuba.2Licenciado en Enfermería. Máster en Enfermería. Profesor Asistente de la Facultad de Ciencias Médicas Juan Guiteras Gener, Matanzas, Cuba.3Licenciada en Enfermería. Máster en Psiquiatría Social. Escuela Nacional de Salud Pública, Ciudad de La Habana, Cuba. Contact email: mavidey2006@yahoo.com Abstract A descriptive study was conducted on the development of psychiatry and psychiatric nursing in the world, as well as major mental health problems that currently exist. For this, several scientific publications were reviewed. This analysis highlights the importance of the professional development of nursing roles to provide the best care to the sick or the people vulnerable to suffer a mental disorder. It shows the need to start, in some cases, and continue to develop, in others, the training of specialists in mental health nursing to strengthen their professional skills and achieve a higher quality of care provided to individuals with these types of conditions. Keywords: mental health; professional roles; communitymental disorder Versión en Español Título: Funciones profesionales de enfermería que contribuyen al óptimo cuidado de la salud mental