Family groups: a healthcare experience for relatives of patients suffering from mental disorders

Abstract

This study describes the experiences of a family group in a substitutive psychiatric center maintained by the City Health Department of Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. This center attends patients suffering from mental disorders such as psychosis and severe neurosis who are in crisis. The aim of this study is to analyze the patient's family concerning its possibilities of participation in the psychiatric reform and its adequate inclusion in the process of psychosocial rehabilitation. The group turned out to be an empowerment strategy and a way to educate the family on mental healthcare. It also became a place where relatives could expose their feelings, their difficulties and joys while dealing with someone with mental illness.