Citation

da Silva MB, Vieira SB. Saude Soc. 2008; 17(4): 161-170.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Faculdade de Saúde Pública da USP : Associação Paulista de Saúde Pública)

DOI

10.1590/s0104-12902008000400016

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The Military Police are guided by two fundamental pillars: discipline and hierarchy making them a complex organization with groups of interests that hinder their capacity to change. The aim of the present study is to identify how the organization is structured and to relate it to mental health. We tried to contextualize the purposes of public safety services through a brief history of the state police, its division and how it has been used against daily violence. Based on labor psychology view, we made use of techniques and concepts based on the Ergonomics of the Activity and on Labor Psychodynamics; observing the work process, document research, individual and collective interviews. Qualitative analysis demonstrated that military officers are in the center of a link of forces coming from work organization, the precariousness of the work and, finally, from the contemporary society. The ways these relationships of forces are joined contribute to harmful implications to the mental health of professionals, favoring the increase in psychological suffering and it can lead to alcoholism, depression, and even suicide. Data from Medical Council of João Pessoa, (2003 to 2005), show an average of 489 military officers who retired from work on medical grounds. These are worrisome figures in an area of public service that is essential to the population. These figures would be higher if the leaves granted in the workplace were also included. Procedures for granting internal leaves occur in an attempt to mediate the possible long period of health treatment.

Language: pt

Keywords

Mental health; Military police; Work organization