The history of the attention to madness in Brazil and around the world shows a clear relationship with the hegemonic projects of society, either in building up the various paradigms of care, or in defining madness as a mental illness. This article tries to identify the relationship between these paradigms and the social issue and to reassure the relevance of mental health as the socio-occupational area of the social workers. It questions the submission of Social Services' performance in this area to the psi knowledge, and it shows promising lines for a contribution consistent with the profession's social mandate and the principles of psychiatric reform.
Social Services; Psychiatric reform; Social mandate
