Psychiatrist António Bento died on Saturday at the age of 69 from a “short-term” illness, the Center Psychiatric Hospital of Lisbon (CHPL), where he served as head of service from 2001 until 2021, when he retired, said today.
António Bento began his professional life at the Júlio de Matos Hospital and worked at the hospital until Barreiro.
“His life is closely connected with the homeless people with whom he began working in 1988,” says a note published by the institution.
In 1994 he pioneered the creation of a street team in Santa Casa da Misericordia in Lisbon, and in 2002 at CHPL he created an Open Psychotherapy Group that has received “hundreds of people with serious mental illness and social isolation”.
Of the published works, CHPL highlights “Sem-Amor, Sem-Abrigo” (2002), co-authored.
“He has become an indispensable figure in working with homeless people throughout the country through constant collaboration with the Center for Planning and Intervention for the Homeless (NPISA) and several organizations, and in 2018 the Municipality of Lisbon awarded him the Social Welfare Medal of Merit,” it said. same source.
Internationally, since 1992, he has been part of the organization SMES (Mental Health and Social Exclusion), which brings together professionals and organizations specializing in the interaction between mental health and social exclusion processes.
“He touched a lot of people’s lives for the better. He continued to support the Open Group and take to the streets until his retirement. He leaves a legacy of passion and dedication to people experiencing homelessness that anyone who knew him will not forget,” the institution emphasized.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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