RELATIVES OF SCHIZOPHRENIC OUTPATIENTS: FEELINGS AND ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR

Abstract

Discovering the difficulties the family experiences is an imminent need for the consolidation of the psychosocial rehabilitation process. A qualitative research was undertaken to get to know and analyze family members’ forms of coping with their relatives’ aggressive behavior and the feelings these situations arouse. As a data collection tool, a script was used to interview ten family members living in the coverage area of a Primary Health Care Unit in Londrina, Paraná in 2012, and who had a relative with mental disorder monitored at a mental health service in the city. The results reveal difficulties to manage crises, search for professional and spiritual help and feelings the majority have in common, such as despair, suffering, fear of being victim of aggression, solitude and social isolation. To relive these difficulties, it is considered important for the health service to intervene in the family context.

Keywords

• Mental health
• Family relations
• Aggression