Social exclusion and deinstitutionalization (homelessness) of patients with Severe Mental Disorder (SMD) in Palma del Rio (Cordoba-Spain)

摘要

Throughout the years, treatment for patients who suffer from a serious mental disorder lias positively evolved. From the beginning, said patients were pejoratively named with nomenclatures such as "insane" or "dangerous", which put them in a distorted and unreal social situation. Due to this medical and social perception, these patients were rejected by society and isolated from the public sphere, being consequently deprived of any kind of social participation. The approval of the psychiatric reform within the Spanish health system changed the consideration and treatment of these patients completely Thus, the role of the family became stronger. In addition, the Spanish Government was forced to take protective measures which responded both to the new social and health requirements and to other possible risk situations of social exclusion.