The Functional Unit for Women with Schizophrenia at Mutua Terrassa University Hospital has served as a model for a pilot programme at the Salvador Psychiatric Hospital in Valparaíso (Chile), aimed at improving the quality of life of patients through community workshops.
Mutua Terrassa University Hospital has become an international reference in addressing women's mental health. Its Functional Unit for Women with Schizophrenia has inspired a pilot programme that has just been launched at the Salvador Psychiatric Hospital in Valparaíso (Chile), aimed at women diagnosed with schizophrenia.
The Chilean initiative, led by the Psychotic Disorders Unit (UTP) of the healthcare centre, incorporates what are known as Community Therapeutic Spaces, a cycle of ten workshops that began in June and addresses dimensions such as healthy eating, physical activity, self-esteem, support networks, community engagement, and the care of sexual and reproductive health.
Dr. Vanessa Acuña, a psychiatrist at the Chilean hospital, explained that the programme is directly inspired by the Mutua Terrassa model, where she completed an internship last year. “One of its fundamental pillars is the community therapeutic spaces, where we do not talk about the illness for which the users are in treatment, but about topics that contribute to their well-being and that are of interest to them,” she stated.
“We aim to provide tools that promote a better quality of life and support their recovery from a holistic perspective,” Acuña added.
The programme also addresses risk factors that particularly affect women with schizophrenia, such as sedentary lifestyles and metabolic diseases, and aims to strengthen their autonomy and participation in the community.
As part of this collaboration, the UTP has established a partnership with the University of Valparaíso, through its Department of Psychiatry and the School of Obstetrics and Childcare. The module on sexual and reproductive health was taught by Danilo Zamorano, an academic from the latter school, who highlighted the active participation of the users.
“It was a very enriching experience. Through a participatory workshop, we reviewed different contraceptive methods and promoted the care of sexual and reproductive health from a practical and approachable perspective,” Zamorano stated.
The Chilean initiative reaffirms the commitment of the Salvador Hospital to innovative, person-centred strategies. But, above all, it highlights the work being done at Mutua Terrassa University Hospital, whose functional unit has become a model to follow beyond our borders.
The pilot programme, which will run over the coming months, will allow for the evaluation of the effectiveness of these community therapeutic spaces in improving the quality of life of the patients. The results could serve to consolidate the collaboration between both centres and extend the model to other units.
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