De la custodia a los cuidados: una perspectiva histórica de la enfermería en salud mental

Abstract

This work has the goal of clarifying the differences between two concepts: "Watching" and "care" with the purpose of identifying the differences among a model of repressive psychiatric system (very similar to penitentiary system), and a humanistic model of psychiatric system whose conceptual emblem is the "care". Initial hypothesis: mental health cares are only possible in the context of societies politic and scientifically democratic. Method: The focuses and derivative positions of the social and structural history have guided the heuristic process and the hermeneutic one. The consulted sources have been, essentially, normative. Conclusions: The fact that in Spain mental health cares have been developed, essentially, in democratic periods reinforces the thesis that mental cares, democracy and educational development constitute three closely linked processes.