Intervenção familiar em contexto de internação psiquiátrica: contribuições e desafios

Abstract

This study involved inpatients’ families of a psychiatric institution. Its objective was to understand if the Family Comforting Program offered by the institution helped them face the crisis and what were the difficulties they found after the patient was discharged. A qualitative research based on the systemic approach was developed, which included: a historical study of the understanding of psychiatric disorders; family therapy development; data collection and analysis. The information was obtained through an open-ended questionnaire applied to one or more family members. The analysis of the interviews was systemic and allowed the categorization of the information into themes considered relevant. Seeking to understand what happens to the families after the patient was discharged from the institution, it was observed that the families unanimously reported: a closer bound among family members and among patients and family members; a feeling of comfort and openness to talk about their situation in a group; a comprehensive understanding of the disorder and learning of strategies to deal with the crises