[Care of psychiatric disorders: thoughts about human rights and the patient's rights]

Considering the social, political and economical changes such as occurred during the construction of the Psychiatric Nursing History, as well as the ongoing modifications in teaching nursing due the new Law for Directories and Bases, and taking also into account the existing preoccupation of some sections as far as the compliance with the Human Rights and Patient Rights are concerned, the present study proposes some reflections about the ethical conducts by nursing professionals in relation to patients interned in Psychiatric Hospitals, giving emphasis to the aspects related to the human dignity. The discussion is based in the Directory of the Rights of Patients proposed by the Secretary of Health of the Government of the State of São Paulo, as well as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The study gives furthermore emphasis to the responsibility in the area of teaching as far as the mobilization process for transforming the preconceptions regarding the mental diseases are concerned and examines the effective practice of equality, democracy, liberty and the exercise of the citizenship of the patient.