Abstract
This article analyzed the effects of using the Brazilian version of the Autonomous Medication Management Guide (GAM-BR) in intervention groups in mental health services. Users, psychiatrists and other professionals’ narratives were verified to check the relationship of each one with the prescription, the main principle of the guide. Three CAPS (mental health care services) from the south of the country have participated in this research, all members of the multicentric research GAM-BR. The material was audio-recorded, transcribed and transformed in narratives. The results show increase of the conception of autonomy and wider acknowledgment of users’ rights. A broadening concept of users’ autonomy and a greater recognition of their rights was observed. However, issues were found in the exercise of rights, especially regarding drug treatment, which was seen as a condition for their bond maintenance with services. Further reflection on this subject is emphasized, owing to maintaining the logic of choice, which focuses on privatization and individualism, instead of the care that enhances network and co-responsibility.
Keywords:
Mental Health; Narratives; Autonomy; Citizenship; Medication