The verbal pill: relief techniques in public primary care settings in marginalized quarters

Abstract

In primary care settings, the demand for care for emotional problems has increased, and authorities have responded to with the implementation and / or strengthening of the psychology service. The objective is to reflect on the perceptions about psychological care. So, we resort to the concept of relief techniques proposed by P. Sloterdijk (2012) and analyze the perceptions that patients and psychologists have about the work of the latter. Methodology. A study (QUAL → quan) was conducted in 19 health centers in Mexico City that included semi-structured interviews with health personnel (76) and patients (44). The interviews were recorded and transcribed; they were analyzed by the “categorization of meanings” of Kvale (1996), and under the proposed conceptual framework. Results. Patients conceive psychological consultation as a relief technique that allows to alleviate the daily burdens of life, and to adjust their emotions and behavior to the moral and social codes in force in the capitalist system. The way of organizing care in these health settings coupled with the intrapersonal approach of psychology, give rise to tensions and dilemmas around this clinical practice.