Tessituras do cuidado: vivências de familiares no convívio com o sofrimento mental e nas práticas de acolhimento nos CAPS II e CAPS AD III em um município de médio porte no sul do Brasil

Abstract

The family occupies a central role in individuals’ lives, whether as a network of protection and survival or as a space of affection and sociability. This relevance becomes even more evident in the face of illness affecting one of its members, particularly in the context of mental suffering. In Brazil, the prioritization of family and community coexistence gained prominence in the field of mental health following the Psychiatric Reform, promoting significant changes in paradigms and in the organization of services. In this context, the present study aims to analyze the role of the family both as a caregiving agent and as a subject within the therapeutic process in Psychosocial Care Centers (CAPS), based on the experiences of family members of users linked to CAPS II and CAPS AD III in the municipality of Ponta Grossa, Paraná. The specific objectives were defined as follows: to outline the socioeconomic profile of the participating family units; to identify actions, projects, and activities aimed at including the family in the therapeutic process offered by the investigated Psychosocial Care Centers; to understand the forms of family inclusion and the possibilities for participation in the care process provided by these services, based on the experiences of participating family members; and to analyze the challenges and potentials experienced by families in relation to mental suffering and the therapeutic process offered by substitute services, drawing on the experiences of family members linked to these services in the municipality. The choice of this topic is related to the importance of considering the family within the context of care provided by CAPS, contributing to the advancement of both theoretical and practical debates, especially from the perspective of Applied Social Sciences. This qualitative study employed bibliographic and documentary research, as well as semi-structured interviews for data collection. Data were analyzed using Content Analysis. In total, 29 family members were interviewed, linked to both CAPS II and CAPS AD III. The results were organized into three chapters: (1) Mental health care networks and substitute services: from national structuring to the research field; (2) Family and mental health: analysis of family care and the socioeconomic profile of participants linked to CAPS II and CAPS AD III in Ponta Grossa - PR; and (3) The family and substitute mental health services: challenges and potentials. It is concluded that the family experiences and shares the impacts of mental suffering and/or substance abuse, making it essential for the therapeutic process to maintain careful attention to its context and to promote its effective inclusion in care-not merely as a companion, but as an active user.