ABSTRACT
Changes in Brazilian mental healthcare gave rise to an important debate about the place of family in treatment. In the context of this debate, this article aims to understand how family members of patients, who were seen in a Day-Hospital, make meaning about their participation in treatment. Ten interviews were conducted. Thematic analysis pointed to five different forms of family participation in treatment. These forms are: family support, learning about the mental illness, transformation of family relationships, offering support to the family member who is being treated, and mutual care between different families. The way family support is constructed in daily practices (particularly through the investment in the quality of relationships between professionals, patients, and family members) is discussed.
Keywords:
family; mental health; therapeutics