Service users’ experiences of the impact of mental health crisis on social identity and social relations

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to explore and understand people’s experiences of social identity, social relations and stigma in the context of their mental health crises. In-depth interviews, based on phenomenological-hermeneutical methodology, were carried out with seven persons. All had experienced being in and out of mental health crisis for several years. They had all received inpatient treatment as well as support from a Crisis resolution home treatment team (CR/HT). The study was carried out in a rural Norwegian area including a medium-sized town. Through qualitative analysis based on phenomenological-hermeneutical methods one main theme, “experiences of being looked down on” was identified and divided into four sub-themes; «once mentally ill, always mentally ill», «labelled by oneself», «labelled by social networks» and «labelled in mental health services». The informants described that the experiences of being looked down on varied in different situations. Stigma in services was also revealed, and the service-users’ position as outsiders was experienced as a difficult barrier in their recovery process. The first person narratives of labelling, stigma and social exclusion bring our understanding of mental health crisis experiences to a far more concrete level, both regarding impact on personhood and social identity.