Insight, Stigma, and Post–Diagnosis Identities in Schizophrenia

Abstract

This paper examines insight into mental illness, particularly as it applies to people diagnosed with schizophrenia. The paper argues that insight should be reconceptualized as a component of post–diagnosis identities that are defined in relation to other social identities, and under conditions of stigma against mental illness. The proposed conceptualization suggests there are at least four possibilities for post–diagnosis identities in schizophrenia: engulfed, resistant, detached, and empowered. Revising the insight concept to integrate the influence of social context and the potential for multiple post–diagnosis identities could be the basis for therapeutic dialogues with individuals about the implications that diagnosis has for their lives.