Fibromyalgia awareness and support initiatives expand in Brazil

New initiatives and awareness campaigns are targeting the needs of people living with fibromyalgia in Brazil. The Associação Fibromiálgicas do Brasil has launched the ‘Adote uma Fibromiálgica’ project, which provides free psychotherapy to patients without health insurance. The program connects individuals over 18 with volunteer psychologists to address the emotional impacts of chronic pain and social limitations.

In Rio de Janeiro, the Associação das Pessoas com Fibromialgia no Estado do Rio de Janeiro (AFIRJ) is organizing a seven-day awareness campaign, including a walk in Teresópolis. The mobilization seeks to improve medical care and advocate for better evaluations by the National Social Security Institute (INSS), requesting that functional limitations be assessed on an individual basis.

These efforts follow the passage of Federal Law 15.176/2025, which equates fibromyalgia to a disability for legal purposes, provided a biopsychosocial evaluation confirms long-term impediments to social participation.