About desinstitute

Desinstitute is a non-profit civil society organization that works to guarantee rights and freedom-based mental health care, in Brazil and Latin America.

Desinstitute was established in May 2020 and the organization’s main operations include the production and disclosure of technical knowledge, establishing dialogue with social movements and civil society organizations, monitoring public policies and advocacy with legislative representatives, executives and justice systems. The organization´s priority mission is to influence and technically support the development of evidence-based policies and actions guided by principles that ensure human rights.

Despite its short history, Desinstitute was created by individuals with extensive and diverse experience in the health and social justice fields, who gathered and organized their efforts to establish a Brazilian institutional front focusing on a public agenda and dedicated to defending SUS (the Brazilian Universal Health System) and the Democratic Rule of Law.

To find out more, access the organization’s manifesto here.

Performance

With an important focus on race, class and gender dimensions, Desinstitute’s work is based on the following main themes (to learn more about each of these themes click on “+”, below the illustration):

#ForAllToSee: Illustration in black and coral colors with five figures drawn and placed in a circle, under the words "mental health". Each of the figures represents an axis of action of the Desinstitute and is connected to the other four by arrows inside and around the circle. The first figure, which represents the axis of action "community care", is three silhouettes of people positioned next to each other. The second, on the "intersectionality" axis, are two small circles that cross and intersect in an area painted in coral. The third, on the "justice system" axis, is a two-weight scale that is hanging more to one side. The penultimate, on the "institutional violence" axis, shows the silhouette of a bent person with a band on his face and one hand on his head, protecting himself. The last, on the "drug policy" axis, are four scattered pills of different sizes.

Community Care

Analyzes community-based public policies, actions and services in Brazil and Latin America, and articulates actions with national and international public entities, proposing and implementing best practices in community, public, multidisciplinary and freedom-based care – in the mental health field.

Intersectionality

Produces and promotes actions and technical knowledge about the structural and structuring impacts of discriminatory and segregating policies against populations affected by stigma and prejudice related to class, race, gender and sexual orientation, recognizing the historical inseparability of these practices.

Drug Policy

Monitors, analyzes, and publicizes investments, legislation and the operation of asylum institutions financed with public resources, which focus on the National Drug Policy in Brazil. This effort seeks to influence the creation and application of policies to fight against human rights violations, as well as raise awareness among the overall population and public authorities about the impacts of the “war on drugs” and the importance of harm reduction policies.

Justice system

Monitors and focuses on judicial decisions involving freedom deprivation measures and the institutionalization of people in psychological distress, with mental disorders, disabilities and / or needs for support and care resulting from the harmful consumption of alcohol and other drugs, in Brazil and Latin America.

Institutional Violence

Monitors and reports human rights violations committed by the State, in Brazil and Latin America, especially those directed at people in psychological distress, with mental disorders, disabilities and / or needs arising from the use of alcohol and other drugs, especially the institutionalized population, undergoing freedom-deprivation and directly impacted by the “war on drugs” policy.

Transparency

Desinstitute values the seriousness and transparency of its actions.

Check out our financial statements and bylaw:

Contact

e-mail: desinstitute@desinstitute.org.br

For press or communication demands, send an email to:
comunicacao@desinstitute.org.br