This is a qualitative study and uses as a referential the theory of Social Representations. Its objective was to search to unveil the relatives¢ vision about Psychiatric Renewal. It approached ten families of hard mental disorder porters, clients of hospital-day and the Center of Psychosocial Attention. It used the semi-structured interview and the test of free association of stimulus-inducing words, submitted to Bardin¢s Analysis of Content. The results showed the predominance of a decreasing vision of process so it points to a main objective of renewing the extinction of psychiatric hospitals, showing concerns about the possibility of this fact increasing still more the lack of framework to answer the demands of customers. The comprehension of families about psychiatric renewal still doesn¢t reach the dimension desired. Thus, integrated efforts of everyone that is interested in the health and welfare state of these subjects is necessary.
Mental health; Family; Psychiatric nursing