The experience of the psychological suffering based on testimonies of male and female users of a public health service in the municipality of Araraquara (SP). It is considered the social construction of the psychological suffering and, therefore, the arrangement of values and norms of a certain society and historical period. Semi-structured interviews were applied in male and female users of the Center of Psychosocial Attention (CAPS). These interviews were analyzed through the perspective of social gender relations and under the context of changes at the Brazilian psychiatric system started with the Anti Asylum Fight. In conclusion, the challenge to be of the contemporary Brazilian society in the construction of public policies in the field of mental health must take into account questions raised by the perspective of social gender relations. Therefore, it means that by incorporating the gender theme in mental health issues, we must question the biological and reductionist conception of women’s mental health. The violence against women and the sexual repression in our society have contributed a lot to the female psychiatric debility. Regarding men, it is necessary to face the question of their stigma. By falling sick, they are excluded from public spaces and confront great difficulties to reintroduce themselves into society and to rebuild their previous identity.
Psychological suffering; Social gender relations; Contemporary Brazilian society; Mental health; Anti asylum fight