Luís Loureiro, professor of the Nursing School of Coimbra (ESEnfC),
presented on Wednesday (10th September) his doctoral thesis in
Nursing Sciences at the Biomedical Sciences Institute Abel Salazar (ICBAS) of
the
The study which served as a basis for this thesis was conducted on a
sample of residents in Penacova. It comprised two studies: the first one was a
qualitative study and the second one was a quantitative study, and involved a
sample of 834 subjects resident in the parishes of Penacova, Lorvão, São Pedro
de Alva and Travanca do Mondego.
The results demonstrate positive attitudes towards mental illnesses and
patients, greater recognition of the illness and its medical condition.
However, the stereotypes of dangerousness, incurability and
unpredictability of mental patients continue and this represents, in a way, an
indicator of the stigma and discrimination involved in these disorders, as
Professor Luís Loureiro explains.
According to this Professor, mental health programmes should focus on
changing the stereotypes leading to the social stigma and exclusion of the
patients. On the other hand, they should also focus on those who are not ill
yet, less centred on a politics of “illness management”.
As suggestions, Professor Luís Loureiro emphasizes the creation of community
intervention programmes, Centres of Mental Health Promotion (and Prevention of
Illness) and research community systems in the mental health domain.
The following professors were members of the jury: Joaquim Armando (Full
Professor at the Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences of the University
of Coimbra), Rui Aragão Oliveira (Auxiliary Professor of the Higehr Institute
of Applied Psychology), Manuela Fleming (Associate professor with Aggregation
of the ICBAS), Carlos Farate (Invited Associate Professor of the ICBAS) and Carlos
Amaral Dias (Full Professor of the Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences
of the University of Coimbra and Invited Full Professor of the ICBAS, besides
being the supervisor of the thesis).
The jury was presided over by Professor Corália Vicente (Full Professor
of the ICBAS).
