Abstract
Background
This research emphasized violence in the mental health area, one of the devices strengthened after the 1990s.
Objective
The general objective of the research was to understand the perception of mental health professionals working in a General Hospital Psychiatric Unit on stigma and violence.
Method
This is exploratory, descriptive-analytical research with a qualitative approach. It was carried out in the Psychiatric Hospitalization Unit of a General University Hospital in the city of Rio de Janeiro. The participants of the research were 06 mental health professionals. After the release of the Ethics Committees, management authorization and the completion of the Terms of Consent, semi-structured interviews were performed. The content analysis was opted to work the obtained data.
Results
While some professionals demonstrated to be unaware of the meaning of stigma, the term violence was exemplified through conceptualizations and approximations with social reality. The various speeches on symbolic violence gained prominence. When mentioning it, they recognized that certain practices with patients, even if they do not add physical violence, reproduce stigmatization, which has repercussions on psychological violence and negligence.
Conclusion
Although the change in care has been established, it is necessary to know the process of violence and stigmatization in current practices, since such phenomena can aggravate the existing suffering.
Keywords:
psychiatry; mental health; violence; stigma; psychiatric hospitalization