[Refusal of psychiatric de-hospitalization: a qualitative study]

This study is justified based on the large number of individuals currently institutionalized in psychiatric hospitals in Brazil, despite the current proposal for de-hospitalization. The study focused on factors involved in the refusal of de-hospitalization, based on reports by patients in a psychiatric hospital with a diagnosis of schizophrenia and preserved verbal capacity. Based on a random selection, six patients answered a semi-structured interview. The interviews were later submitted to thematic content analysis. After reading the transcriptions, the following key thematic contents were extracted: a feeling of freedom even while hospitalized, the material and subjective protection provided by the hospital, and the way institutionalized hospital life is incorporated by patients. The findings can contribute to the drafting of public policies in mental health and to the understanding of this population's subjective dynamics.