Accommodation of individuals with severe mental disorders in Brazil: an interdisciplinary assessment

Qualitative evaluative research is presented on the accommodation of people with severe mental disorders receiving mental health support from the city government in three large cities in Brazil. Participant observation of ten residents and their caregivers was conducted in Residential Therapeutic Services (SRT) and the routine of eight frequenters of Psychosocial Support Centers (CAPS) who established their accommodation on their own initiative was monitored. Both the residents of SRT and CAPS were interviewed in depth. The field material was analyzed by means of the interpretation method, from the perspective of architects, anthropologists, psychoanalysts and sanitary engineers. The findings indicate a lack of systematic processes of psychosocial rehabilitation of the residents of SRTs, caregivers unprepared to deal with the complexity of the residents' demands, in addition to low involvement of CAPS with SRTs. Moreover, users connected to the CAPS, who do not live in SRTs, showed a range of creative ways to establish their accommodation and greater interaction with the community, although some have the support of hostels and asylums to address their housing needs. At the end of the text, some directions to overcome the problems encountered are highlighted.