Time does not stop deinstitutionalization in pandemic times

Abstract

This article systematizes elements of the deinstitutionalization process that occurred during the first wave pandemic of the new coronavirus pandemic from the perspective of professionals involved in this processes in the state of Pernambuco. The construction took place from an environment of knowledge exchanging constituted by the referred professionals to deal with a series of dilemmas and challenges that were added up in the period of the pandemic, always carrying out the necessary debate between the principles of deinstitutionalization and psychosocial rehabilitation. The reflections deal with the restriction of circulation around the city, the mourning of lives lost by the virus, the use of psychoactive substances and dehospitalization in times of pandemic. Such reflections pointed the fact that regardless of the circumstances are the relationships established between those who care and those who are cared for. The primacy of contractuality and respect for people, in the sense that they are the protagonists of their own lives, portrays that the care they need has to be linked with the care that produces emancipation. The points addressed were revealing to us and/or reaffirming that when the preservation of life imposes restrictions, conviction, proximity, negotiation and information are essential elements for overcoming difficulties.