A psychiatrist from Distrito Federal lives a drama that lasts more than four years, being the victim of incessant persecution by a former patient. Laura Campos, 34 years old, faces a daily battle for his safety and peace, a conflict that exposes the gaps in the Brazilian judicial and mental health system. The case, which began in 2021, gained national notoriety after the health professional used social media to denounce the situation and the feeling of helplessness.
The attacker, diagnosed with psychiatric disorders, was considered unaccountable by Justiça. Essa legal condition prevents him from being arrested for violating protective measures and acts of persecution, transforming the doctor’s life into a cycle of fear and uncertainty. Mesmo after compulsory hospitalization, the man resumes the harassment, sending messages and trying to contact, which forces the victim to live in a state of constant alert.
The situation forced Laura to drastically change his professional and personal routine. Ela had to abandon the physical office, migrating to exclusively online service, and restricting its circulation in public places. The doctor criticizes the ineffectiveness of the legal tools available for cases like hers, where the stalker cannot be held criminally responsible in the conventional way, leaving the victim in a position of extreme vulnerability.
The beginning of the obsession and the first approaches
The persecution began in April 2021, two years after Laura Campos saw the man in just two consultations, in 2019. Contact was resumed in a subtle way, when he started following her on Instagram. The interactions, which at first seemed harmless, quickly escalated to a concerning tone. Mensagens with strange content, such as “you don’t need to be afraid of me”, raised the first warning sign. Diante due to inappropriate behavior, the doctor decided to block the former patient on social media, an action that, instead of ceasing contact, intensified the obsession. Poucos days after the virtual blockade, the attacker materialized the threat, appearing in person at the clinic where she worked. The physical presence of the stalker in Laura’s workplace represented a new and frightening level of harassment, forcing her to call the building’s security team to remove him from the location. However, the episode was not an isolated case. The man returned days later, demonstrating complete disregard for the limits imposed and for the professional’s safety. From then on, the approaches became more frequent and the content of the messages began to alternate between declarations of a loving nature and veiled threats, creating an environment of constant and unpredictable psychological terror.
The search for protection and judicial barriers
Faced with the escalation of the persecution, Laura Campos sought legal channels to ensure his safety. Ela filed police reports and, as a result, managed to apply urgent protective measures, which determined that the attacker kept his distance and did not attempt any type of contact. Contudo, the court orders proved to be ineffective, as the man systematically disregarded them, convinced of his impunity.
The main obstacle to an effective solution arose after a forensic psychiatric evaluation, which attested to the aggressor’s lack of responsibility. The report confirmed that, due to his mental disorders, he was unable to understand the illicit nature of his acts. Essa condition prevents his arrest, even in flagrant non-compliance with protective measures. The only remaining legal alternative was compulsory hospitalization, which occurred twice, but proved to be only temporary and palliative solutions to a chronic and persistent problem.
Flaws in the stalking law and the healthcare system
Sanctioned in 2021, Lei nº 14,132, known as Lei of Stalking, classified the crime of persecution in Código Penal. The legislation provides for a prison sentence of six months to two years for anyone who threatens someone’s physical or psychological integrity, restricts their ability to move around or repeatedly invades their sphere of privacy.
However, the application of this law faces a major challenge in cases involving irresponsible aggressors. Brazilian criminal legislation determines that, for these individuals, punishment is replaced by a security measure, such as hospitalization or outpatient treatment.
Laura Campos’s criticism focuses on the lack of effectiveness and oversight of these measures. The aggressor, after being discharged from hospitalization, was not properly monitored by Centro of Atenção Psicossocial (CAPS), which allowed him to interrupt treatment and resume obsessive behavior.
This gap highlights a serious failure in the coordination between the justice system and the mental health network. The absence of continuous and rigorous monitoring of the aggressor leaves the victim completely unprotected, hostage to a system that recognizes the danger, but is unable to offer lasting and effective protection.
Profound impact on professional and personal life
The continuous persecution and the feeling of insecurity imposed profound changes on Laura’s life. Fear of a new approach in her workplace led her to make the drastic decision to close her physical practice. Durante months, she only saw her patients remotely, a security measure that impacted her professional practice and her relationship with patients who required in-person care.
The personal sphere was also severely affected. The doctor started avoiding public places and constantly changing her routes and routines so as not to be found. In a self-protection strategy, she keeps the attacker’s email unblocked, not in the hope of dialogue, but to monitor the content of the messages and try to anticipate possible outbreaks or crises that could pose an even greater risk to her physical integrity.
This constant surveillance generates immense emotional and psychological distress, putting the psychiatrist’s own mental health at risk. The situation illustrates how stalking is a crime that imprisons the victim in their own daily life, robbing them of their freedom and peace of mind, even without direct physical contact.
The repercussion of the case on social media
Feeling exhausted and without answers from public authorities, Laura decided to use the visibility of social media to expose her story. Ela published a video on the TikTok platform, in which he narrated in detail the ordeal he has faced for years. The initiative aimed not only to seek support, but also to alert other people about the crime of stalking and the difficulties faced by victims.
The response was immediate and overwhelming. The video quickly went viral, surpassing the one million views mark and generating a wave of solidarity and commotion across the country. The reach of the publication brought the debate about the effectiveness of Lei of Stalking to the center of discussions, especially with regard to protecting victims from irresponsible aggressors.
The persistence of persecution despite measures
Even with public repercussions and judicial interventions, the cycle of persecution was not interrupted. Após each period of hospitalization, the aggressor resumed attempts at contact, demonstrating the ineffectiveness of the security measures applied to date. The persistence of stalking is the most conclusive proof of the systemic failures that Laura denounces.
Recently, at the beginning of 2026, the doctor received messages from the stalker again, confirming that the threat remains active and present in her daily life. The repetition of harassment reinforces the urgency of reviewing monitoring protocols for patients with mental disorders who commit crimes, as well as more robust protection mechanisms for victims.
Feeling of abandonment by public authorities
After years of struggle, spending on lawyers and countless attempts to seek protection from the authorities, Laura Campos confesses to feeling frustrated and hopeless. The doctor claims to have “lost hope” in the judicial system’s ability to offer her a definitive solution, describing a profound feeling of abandonment on the part of Estado, who, although aware of the risk, seems unable to guarantee his fundamental right to safety.
