Mental health and the prison system use of psychiatric drugs by imprisoned woman

Abstract

The use of medication as one of the main strategies for dealing with the psychological suffering caused by imprisonment can be considered a tool for controlling and containing the bodies of women deprived of their liberty, who face difficulties in accessing comprehensive health care in prisons. The aim of this study was to investigate the use of psychotropic drugs by women deprived of their liberty and the relationships established in prisons, which enable or hinder access to comprehensive healthcare in the prison system. This was an exploratory qualitative study, carried out through semi-structured interviews with health professionals and women in custody in a prison unit in Rio Grande do Sul. The findings were systematized based on argumentative cores, analyzed using hermeneutics-dialectics, seeking to establish a dialogue with the theoretical references of the research. There was an intense use of psychotropic drugs and a failure to guarantee the right to full access to health, as well as a tendency to medicalize social issues that affect women deprived of their liberty in a movement to contain deviant behavior. The aim was to contribute to discussions about the importance of building mental health care strategies that promote the guarantee of rights, humanization and comprehensive health care in the prison system, based on the principles of the SUS and the Psychiatric Reform.