La Jornada «Mental health diagnosis: Uses and experiences», held on November 8, 2024, and organized by the CEA of the FCCSM, addressed a central issue in the theory and practice of mental health.

The meeting reflected on the role of diagnosis and its evolution throughout the history of mental health.

The influence of the biomedical and experimentalist model and the risk of an excessively reductionist approach to psychological suffering were critically analyzed.

The conference highlighted the effects of the medicalization and protocolization of the experiences of pain, discomfort and suffering.

The risks of turning the diagnosis into a label that reduces the person to a set of symptoms were also addressed.

At the same time, the importance of perspectives that understand mental health from a dimension was emphasized relational, community and comprehensive.

The conflicts and tensions that these different approaches generate in the daily practice of professionals were discussed.

The conference also analyzed the inappropriate or fraudulent uses of the diagnosis and its possible consequences for individuals, families, and social environments.

The debate prominently incorporated the ethical dimension, as well as patients' rights and their active participation in information and decision-making.
The Conference thus offered a space for reflection and debate on the complexity of mental health diagnosis and the need to preserve a clinical perspective centered on the person and their rights.