THE MEDICATION THAT APPEASES AND THE FAMILY THAT CARES: SOCIAL REPRESENTATIONS OF PROFESSIONALS ABOUT USERS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA

Abstract

The Psychosocial Care Network is made up of a group of services created within the scope of the Unified Health System with a view to producing care in freedom for people who are in psychological suffering. This study sought to understand the social representations of the professionals of the Psychosocial Care Network about users with schizophrenia. This is a qualitative field research developed in the north of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, guided by the theoretical-methodological framework of the Theory of Social Representations of the Social Psychologist Serge Moscovici, based on the structural approach of Jean-Claude Abric. The results directed to two important themes in the context of mental health: medication as an ally in expanded care and the family as a center of care. Thus, from the relationships established in the production of mental health care, the need for policies that favor the strengthening of care artifices emerges, including the sharing of care between professionals and family members.