Abstract

Social representation facilitates the construction of an explanatory model that allows understanding the context and meanings surrounding phenomena such as discrimination and stigma on those people who are limited from exercising their rights and duties in a full and equal manner, as is the case of people with psychosocial disabilities. This work contributes to the reflection from a bioethical perspective, so it addresses theoretical aspects of the social representation of people with psychosocial disabilities in the context of health and from the citizenship deficit that limits the effective participation of these people in society. It can be said that the social representations held by health personnel of people with psychosocial disabilities have been influenced by theoretical currents of the rehabilitative medical paradigm. This determines the predominance of paternalistic interventions, since they are considered a vulnerable population in a negative sense. Together with this, it is associated with a stigmatic burden towards people with mental health disorders, characteristic of the medical model. In this regard, it is possible to consider actions to prevent discrimination of this group in the health context, in order to abandon the "enabling"notion of disability in clinical practice and balance the risks and benefits around a vision that privileges autonomy, in addition to taking actions aimed at citizenship that promote recognition of the diversity of democratic societies.