Psiquiatria, saúde mental e biopoder: Vida, controle e modulação no contemporâneo

Abstract

An analysis of the impasses faced by Brazilian mental health institutions in the context of contemporary Brazilian psychiatric reform is provided. The institutions of mental health may operate as a new expansion of psychiatry outside the asylum, acting through more subtle methods of social control working in mental health institutions themselves or within the subjectivity of the clientele. References from the field of philosophy are employed to build a transdisciplinary approach. Political aspects involved in mental health practices may than be taken into consideration, overcoming the obstacles present in mental health theories and practices and building innovative perspectives.