RESUMO
RESUMEN La transformación de la atención en salud mental supone tomar como eje de trabajo la inclusión social, considerando tanto los beneficios que la vida comunitaria trae para las personas con trastorno mental, como los que podría tener para las demás personas de la comunidad. Con el fin de analizar los alcances de la inclusión en salud mental, se entrevistó a 45 asistentes a un centro comunitario vinculado a un programa de externación de un hospital psiquiátrico, el cual busca explícitamente propiciar la inclusión social. Se indagó sobre las posibles transformaciones en las relaciones sociales entre personas externadas y otros miembros de la población, a partir de la interacción cotidiana y sostenida en dicho centro. Los resultados sugieren que uno de los beneficios que encuentran los asistentes es el establecimiento de vínculos, ligados al apoyo informal. A su vez, se observan transformaciones positivas en las ideas respecto a las personas con "enfermedad mental", aunque las mismas parecieran estar más del lado de la integración que de la inclusión social.
ABSTRACT Social inclusion is a key component of transformations in mental health care, because it takes into account the benefits of community life for both those with mental illness and the other members of the community. In order to understand the scope of inclusion within mental health, 45 participants of a community center linked to a psychiatric hospital discharge program which explicitly seeks to provide social inclusion were interviewed. The possible changes in social relationships between users and other community members based in their sustained daily interactions in the community center were explored. Results suggest that the building of social bonds, as part of informal support networks, is one of the benefits of attending the community center. Positive changes in ideas regarding people with "mental illness" were also observed, although these ideas seemed to be more connected to the notion of integration than to social inclusion.
Assuntos
Humanos , Saúde Mental , Transtornos Mentais , Apoio Social , Relações InterpessoaisRESUMO
Social inclusion is a key component of transformations in mental health care, because it takes into account the benefits of community life for both those with mental illness and the other members of the community. In order to understand the scope of inclusion within mental health, 45 participants of a community center linked to a psychiatric hospital discharge program which explicitly seeks to provide social inclusion were interviewed. The possible changes in social relationships between users and other community members based in their sustained daily interactions in the community center were explored. Results suggest that the building of social bonds, as part of informal support networks, is one of the benefits of attending the community center. Positive changes in ideas regarding people with "mental illness" were also observed, although these ideas seemed to be more connected to the notion of integration than to social inclusion.
Assuntos
Transtornos Mentais , Saúde Mental , Humanos , Relações Interpessoais , Apoio SocialRESUMO
Effects of living near people with mental illness in community settings have been researched as part of psychiatric reform evaluation. However, these studies have been carried out mostly in industrialized countries, where social contexts differ from those in which psychiatric reform is now being implemented. To analyze the effects of community life with people with mental illness in the neighborhoods in which they live, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. A questionnaire was administered to randomly-selected neighbors of group homes of a discharge program and an equivalent control area (n = 236). Data was analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. Significant differences were found between being a neighbor and having a high degree of acceptance toward people with mental illness. In addition, significant associations were found between neighbors having a high-perceived social cohesion and having a high level of acceptance toward the mentally ill. Living near people with mental illness is associated with better acceptance toward them; these results are congruent with those results found in other cultural contexts.
