SOCIAL REPRESENTATIONS OF PEOPLE WITH MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS RESULTING FROM THE USE OF ALCOHOL AND OTHER DRUGS

Objective: understand the social representations of people with mental health problems resulting from the use of alcohol and other drugs who frequent Narcotics Anonymous. Method: this is a descriptive -exploratory study, with a qualitative focus, using Social Representations for the research theme, in which the steps of the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research were implemented. Results: the information obtained was transformed into three thematic units: the Social Representations of people with mental health problems resulting from the use of alcohol and other drugs; Social Representations of Alcohol and Other Drugs: Addiction Disease; Attending Narcotics Anonymous means freedom, selfevaluation, and acceptance. Final considerations: the comprehension of social representations and their implications in obtaining abstinence makes it possible to act according to the specificities of each subject, starting from a comprehensive approach, considering the perceptions about their condition, experiences and context in which they are inserted.