Dores no corpo/ dores na alma: uma reflexão sobre a experiência corporal e familiar de mulheres mastectomizadas

Abstract

The female breast cancer is the most common form of cancer among women. In last decades, the incidence of this pathology has increased worldwide and thus the mortality associated with this disease. In Brazil, breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in women, being considered, nowadays, as a public health problem. This research is aimed mainly at identifying the social representations that surround it, also that are translated into suffering that goes beyond the physical pain imposed by the associated treatments. So, here we deal with the "pains of the soul", a set of experiences of suffering that is expressed both as body, or mental illness. From a perspective based in the field of medicine, anthropology and analytical psychology, we analyzed specific cases of eight (8) women affected by this pathology. The subjects of this study are women, all patients affected by cancer at various stages and who underwent genetic evaluation at the Department of Onco-Genetics at Federal University of Bahia (Departamento de Onco-Genética da UFBA). In this qualitative study, two main techniques were used in data collection: semi-structured interviews (with 7 women) and a case study. In the interviews, we are interested in particular, narratives of suffering and anguish (the disease process, its impacts and the seek for relief and overcoming it) the case study (a patient who for three years, has chosen a psychotherapeutic treatment in the office of the researcher) was also important as a source of data, since from it, we could identify the most recurrent themes that were to guide the development of the script of questions made for the semi-structured interviews. The results show a strong association of cancer with guilt, punishment, physical disfigurement and death. Moreover, the doctor-patient relationship has also been addressed, taking into consideration the role of good listening of these professionals when experiencing suffering of the Others, and also the issue of family involvement in relation to social and emotional support being offered to the ill-founded when she confronts with the misfortune arising from the disease.