ABSTRACT
The globally transformed patterns of social interrelationships through expanded internet access set digital inclusion as a powerful strategy in deinstitutionalizing the subject with psychological distress. This paper aims to present and analyze a digital inclusion experience that involved ten users from the Carlos Augusto da Silva Magal Psychosocial Care Center, in Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The activities resulted from decisions taken collectively from the exchange of experience and opinions between all participants. Users participated in the construction of the blog Libertando a Mente (Freeing the Mind), which became an articulation and voicing environment for these users, favoring the deconstruction of prejudice. This digital inclusion experience promoted the interlocution of users’ experiences with their families, territory residents, and society. The appropriation of the New Information and Communication Technologies facilitated the autonomy and visibility of the users involved in the project. Thus, it can be considered a valuable tool to be incorporated into deinstitutionalization-based care: a basic guideline of the Brazilian Psychiatric Reform.
KEYWORDS
Internet; Digital inclusion; Mental health; Mental health services; Community-based participatory research