Abstract

CRUZ ORTIZ, Maribel et al. Mental illness from a social model perspective of disability. Index Enferm [online]. 2011, vol.20, n.3, pp.179-183. ISSN 1699-5988.  https://dx.doi.org/10.4321/S1132-12962011000200009.

Severe mental illness has had a late entry into the field of disability. The difficulty to understand it beyond its symptoms and the persistence of beliefs and misconceptions that place these people in a situation of high vulnerability help explain this delay. The social model of disability has been criticized for its open political activism by identifying people with disabilities as an oppressed class. However, some elements of this model, together with other approaches, can be useful for promoting social inclusion of this group. Implications of the understanding of severe mental illness within the social model of disability are discussed.

Keywords : Severe mental illness; Social model; Disability.