[Emotion and soma (dis)connected in magazine pages: the thematic categories of the prescriptive discourse on phenomena of life and illness].

Magazines sold on newsstands have become self-help texts, and the study of the topics covered makes it possible to understand how the discourses are constructed, how they become repositories used to give meaning to life. In the case of magazines that deal with the sphere of health, prescribing methods of treatment, prevention and even healthy lifestyles, the studies allow us to understand the meanings of discourses about body and health. In some articles, the emphasis that sometimes highlights the physical aspect is accompanied by the inclusion of mental aspects. This fact gave rise to this study, which seeks to clarify how this mind-body connection is conceptualized and prescribed in these pages. Six articles of a Brazilian health magazine published between August 2005 and February 2006 were analyzed regarding the content of the texts as well as graphic and textual features. The way this media format operates was considered significant, and when associated with the themes: self-diagnosis, the place of emotion, the prescriptions and causality reinforce healthy lifestyles. Readers must learn to self-diagnose and control their emotions, considered to be juxtaposed to the physical emotions. The articles outline a field of health in which the mind-body split deepens and extends, establishing the medicalization of society.
PMID: 23358779