[Ethnography of individuals in psychological distress].

OBJECTIVE To asses how people with mental disorders experience their special needs and interact with the community in public urban places. METHODOLOGY The research was performed in the city of Passo Fundo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, using ethnography as the theoretical methodological approach. As of the study of one subject, the objective was to understand what characterizes people as mentally sick and how the adversities of their mental picture do not prevent them from building circuits, paths, and social networks with the urban space. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS It was identified the subjectivity processes of subjects in the spaces of the city. Since health services recognized these individuals, it is possible to create interventions which are more suitable to their special needs.