Experiences and subjective transformations: suffering and coercion in the use of psychotropic drugs in psychiatric treatment in Chile

Abstract

This article analyzes the impact of psychotropic drug use on individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar affective disorder, and severe depression in Chile. Using a qualitative narrative approach, the experiences of 25 patients from 2018 to 2021 are examined. Participants describe how these medications, while effective in symptom control, generate psychological suffering and a sense of coercion in daily life. The results reveal that prolonged use of psychotropic drugs leads to significant side effects, including physical, cognitive, and social deterioration, as well as a persistent sense of dependence on these medications. Furthermore, the article critiques the medicalization of mental disorders within modern psychiatry, where the biomedical approach predominates, reducing human distress to a neurochemical problem and disregarding social factors. The study concludes that while psychotropic drugs can stabilize patients, they also perpetuate forms of control and suffering.

Keywords

• Mental Health
• Mental Health Assistance
• Psychiatry
• Psychotropic Drugs
• Chile