The construction of dangerousness in accounts about users of substitute mental health services

Abstract

Abstract Objective The psychiatric concept of mental illness disseminated the association between psychological suffering and dangerousness in the West and in countries like Brazil, influenced by Western culture. This article aims to understand how dangerousness is constructed as an identity trait of users accessing substitute services, specifically Psychosocial Care Centers and Therapeutic Residences. It is based on accounts from the population residing near these services in the municipalities of João Pessoa and Campina Grande (Paraíba/Brazil). Method The qualitative methodology of Oral History was employed, and 106 oral testimonies were collected from adult individuals and subjected to Discourse Analysis according to the perspective adopted by Discursive Psychology. Results Identity attributes such as aggressiveness, irrationality and several others with similar meaning were used with varying degrees of subtlety to describe users. Conclusion Despite the differences, the testimonies were employed to link the users with dangerousness and render them unfit for social life.

Keywords

• Discourse analysis
• Mental disorders
• Social construction of identity