The long way back to society: The Brazilian Public Prosecution Service and the deinstitutionalization of mental health

Abstract

The guarantee civil and social rights as inseparable rights has been increasingly sought for since the 1970s and has influenced the reorganization of health care models in face of the recognition of new subjects of right. In Brazil, one of the most evident aspects of this scenario was the visibility of the Psychiatric Reform as a structuring part of the Brazilian Health Reform that treaded along the human rights movement. This study aims to contribute to the qualification of the mental health policy monitoring process by the State Prosecutor’s Office, based on the compliance with the main points of academic debates on process of deinstitutionalization of people. This is a qualitative research study consisting of a systematic search for evidence in technical (norms, ordinances, laws, resolutions) and scientific literature, based on electronic data from the Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde and using the descriptors: “deinstitutionalization” AND “mental health” OR “psychiatric hospitals”. It should be noted that the Brazilian Public Prosecution Service is a permanent and essential institution of the rule of law, entrusted with the constitutional obligation of acting in defense of social interests, the legal system and the democratic regime.