A loucura e o feminino: uma análise do perfil das usuárias do Centro de Atenção Psicossocial (CAPS III) “Tozinho Gadelha” de Sousa-PB.

Abstract

The meanings surrounding the phenomenon of madness and the so-called madman have, according to Foucauldian conception, undergone a process of transformation as new circumstances arose in certain historical periods. Thus, each society had its own particular view of the mad and madness. In this sense, representations of the mad and madness are considered to be a socio-historical construction permeated by cultural, social and political transformations. This paper therefore has the following objectives: to investigate how the Psychosocial Care Center (CAPS) was set up in the city of Sousa, located in the high hinterland of Paraíba; to analyze the sociodemographic profile of the female users who make up the day-patients at this institution; to investigate aspects of the life history of these users, opening up a dialogue on issues related to mental health from a gender perspective. To this end, the following sources were used: The History of Madness in the Classical Age by Michel Foucault; Madmen for Life: the trajectory of psychiatric reform in Brazil by Paulo Amarante; The implementation and implantation project of the Psychosocial Care Center (CAPS III) "Tozinho Gadelha"; Before anyone tells by Julieta de Paiva Gadelha; The medical records of the users of CAPS III "Tozinho Gadelha"; Mental Health, Gender and Devices: Culture and Processes of Subjectivation by Valeska Zanello, among other bibliographies. In summary, we have tried to promote a discussion about the terms of knowledge-power, especially psychiatric medical knowledge, and how this reverberates in the relationships and daily experiences of the subject in these women who attend the aforementioned institution.