Abstract

MACEDO, Paula Costa Mosca. Congenital physical disability and Mental Health. Rev. SBPH [online]. 2008, vol.11, n.2, pp. 127-139. ISSN 1516-0858.

This paper shows a number of congenital physical disabilities and widens the view to this issue focusing on the biopsychosocial aspect, which is of fundamental importance for the mental health of disabled individuals, and on the psychological approach to the patient’s parents and relatives. The various aspects involved in the issue are discussed under the light of the social and mental health psychology and the reader is invited to consider the emotional difficulties experienced by parents rising from the birth of their disabled child and the development of their child’s personality, the emotional drama experienced by the persons involved, the difficult social interaction and acceptance of disabled individuals, and the social dynamics that personal differences usually originate.

Keywords : Physical disability; Rehabilitation; Social inclusion; Psychological counseling.

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