Acceptance of Mental Illness

Abstract

The book covers a topic that is often overlooked in the literature: How people with serious mental illnesses (i.e., schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, severe depression) come to recognize and deal with the symptoms of a mental illness in order to promote recovery. Per the recovery movement in mental health, recovery is understood as not simply symptom elimination, but the process of living a meaningful and satisfying life in the face of mental illness. Acceptance of Mental Illness draws from research to provide educators, clinicians, researchers, and consumers with an understanding of the multidimensional process of acceptance of mental illness in order to support people across culturally diverse groups to experience empowerment, mental wellness, and growth. Chapters focus on providing a historical overview of the treatment of people with mental illness, examining the acceptance process, and exploring the experience of acceptance among women, men, racial–ethnic minorities, and LGBT individuals with serious mental illnesses. The book is a useful tool for mental health educators and providers, with each chapter containing case studies, clinical strategies lists, discussion questions, experiential activities, diagrams, and worksheets that can be completed with clients, students, and peers.