This qualitative research aimed to investigate the social life of patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia at a Psychosocial Care Center (CAPS), and identify how the therapeutic process offered by the CAPS has contributed to their social lives. The subjects of the study were patients with schizophrenia, between eighteen and forty years of age and registered at the CAPS in Uberaba, Brazil. The data were collected through a semi-structured interview. Three categories were identified: the patients' life before and after the illness, their everyday life outside CAPS and CAPS care contributing to their social life and stabilization of symptoms. The results showed that the CAPS regimen enhances treatment compliance and decreases hospitalization. However, social functioning for schizophrenic patients occurs within the family and treatment contexts. This reality evidences the need for a partnership with the Family Health Strategy and the community to improve socialization.
mental disorders; Schizophrenia; quality of life; nursing