Struggles in Mental Health

“This event has multiple objectives, from keeping this flame alive and the discussion about the principles of psychiatric reform, the objects of the anti-asylum struggle both in the social and care fields, and also through the desire for Bahiana in mobilizing its student body and inserting them in this process of reformulation of care, thus enabling a horizontalized space where the word can flow between professors, academics, users and family members of the mental health system in Salvador", explains Prof. Rafael Fernandes – Psychologist, Master in Medicine and Human Health at Bahiana and coordinator of the event “Struggles in Mental Health” that took place on May 13, at the Cabula Academic Unit, from Escola Bahiana de Medicina e Saúde Pública.

The program brought together students, teachers, health professionals, users and families in order to discuss issues related to the field of mental health, such as anti-asylum experiences and psychosocial care network, psychosocial effects of racism: mental disorder and psychological distress, CAPS and therapeutic residencies as care transformation devices, among other themes.

The opening of the event featured a presentation by the Cyclone Choir of the Dia Ciclos Hospital and, soon after, debates, lectures and round tables related to the theme of mental health were held with the presence of Dr. Mônica Nunes, physician, master (UFBA) and Ph.D. (Univ. Montreal); Dr. Milena Lisboa, psychologist, PhD in Social Psychology (PUC-SP); Felipe Soares Rodrigues, psychologist, specialist in Mental Health and Psychoactive Substances (UFBA/ARFC); Dr. Alessandro de Oliveira Santos, psychologist, PhD in School Psychology and Human Development (USP); Viviane Mota, psychologist, specialist in Mental Health in Primary Care (Bahiana) and coordinator of CAPS II Adilson Sampaio, coordinated by the professors of Bahiana, Prof. Fabio Giorgio Azevedo, psychologist, Master in Education (UFBA); Prof. Rafael Fernandes and Prof. Lidiane Guedes, psychologist, specialist in Mental Health and Master in Social Psychology (UFSE).

"I understand this program as a formative space, which nurtures and encourages us because I feel how much power we have due to everything that is happening in our country and, at various times, we get restless, frustrated, and when we are in a space like this one, we feed on strength and we are the ones who will be able to make this movement, as an educational institution and academic community”, explains the coordinator of the Psychology course, Sylvia Barreto.

Dr. Mônica Nunes congratulates the Bahiana for promoting events that contribute to the movement in the fight against improving the quality of mental health. “This movement took a lot of breath this year and has been building with a protagonism that involves users, students and the academic community. This moment is the place where we can continue building things and, above all, resisting changes that may happen and that we cannot allow ourselves to go back”, he explains.

“I have been a mental health user since I was born because I have a mental disorder and one of the worst phases of my life was as a child, as prejudice was very great and the means of health were totally different from today's times”, reports José Raimundo dos Santos, 48 years old who suffered a lot for not having a professional basis and being the victim of treatments with electroshock and confinement in the asylum. He emphasizes the gratification of participating in events like these and reports the improvement in psychiatric reform that has greatly helped in the quality of life of people with intellectual disabilities.

According to Prof. Lidiane Guedes, the proposal to bring students to a meeting with mental health professionals, with the users themselves and their families implies a mental health education committed to the principles of the SUS and Law 10.216 that protects the right of people who are in psychological distress. "Currently, in the current model of work and of our society, especially thinking about the current political moment, in which we see a large gap and setback in public policies and guarantee of our rights as citizens, meetings like this have a direct effect on our mental health , strengthening ideas and actions in favor of improvements”.

“Reporting what is happening in the world of mental health, in political and social issues, is super important, to get to know the suffering of these people who also experience prejudice, stigma. This transmission of knowledge is what is capable of freeing these people”, concludes Maria Emilia Pereira, 9th semester student of the Psychology course at Bahiana.

At the end of the program, there was a presentation by Incênicos and Bando Flores da Massa, bringing some art and poetry about the positions and discussions around the topic discussed.