Objective:

To explore the development of the concept of Community Mental Health in Latin America, focusing on its theoretical conceptualizations and considering its academic and sociopolitical contexts.

Methodology:

An integrative review of the literature was conducted in the databases Scopus, SciELO and Redalyc and in external sources using MeSH terms.

Results:

69 records were analyzed and showed that the term Community Mental Health in Latin America has been a dynamic concept in constant transformation and that its meaning depends on the historical moment and the gnoseological perspective in which it is used.

Conclusion:

The hegemony of the biomedical and psychiatric model, the replication of asylum logics, the notions of mental health from disease, and the exercise of power of Governments over communities are considered persistent challenges for the implementation of effective and relevant community models in mental health in Latin America.

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