TY - JOUR
T1 - Experiencing community
T2 - Perspectives of individuals diagnosed as having serious mental illness
AU - Bromley, Elizabeth
AU - Gabrielian, Sonya
AU - Brekke, Benjamin
AU - Pahwa, Rohini
AU - Daly, Kathleen A.
AU - Brekke, John S.
AU - Braslow, Joel T.
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2013 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2013/7/1
Y1 - 2013/7/1
N2 - Objective: Community integration is recognized as a crucial component of recovery from seriousmental illness. Although the construct of community integration can be measured with structured instruments, little is known about the subjective and experiential meaning of community and community involvement for persons with serious mental illness. Methods: In 2010, 30 individuals with seriousmental illness treated in two publicmental health clinics completed semistructured interviews that elicited the places and people that they associate with the experience of community and the larger meaning of community in their lives. Results: Participants described four experiences as integral to their concepts of community: receiving help, minimizing risk, avoiding stigma, and giving back. Participants looked for communities that provide reliable support, and they described the need to manage community contact in order to protect themselves and others from their symptoms and from discrimination. Most participants experienced communities centered on mental health treatment or mentally ill peers as providing opportunities for positive engagement. Conclusions: The experience of having a serious mental illness shapes preferences for and perceptions of community in pervasive ways. Participants described community involvement not as a means to move away from illness experiences and identities but as a process that is substantially influenced by them. Mental health communities may help individuals with serious mental illness to both manage their illness and recognize and enjoy a sense of community. The findings indicate the need for further research on the relationship between community integration and outcome in serious mental illness.
AB - Objective: Community integration is recognized as a crucial component of recovery from seriousmental illness. Although the construct of community integration can be measured with structured instruments, little is known about the subjective and experiential meaning of community and community involvement for persons with serious mental illness. Methods: In 2010, 30 individuals with seriousmental illness treated in two publicmental health clinics completed semistructured interviews that elicited the places and people that they associate with the experience of community and the larger meaning of community in their lives. Results: Participants described four experiences as integral to their concepts of community: receiving help, minimizing risk, avoiding stigma, and giving back. Participants looked for communities that provide reliable support, and they described the need to manage community contact in order to protect themselves and others from their symptoms and from discrimination. Most participants experienced communities centered on mental health treatment or mentally ill peers as providing opportunities for positive engagement. Conclusions: The experience of having a serious mental illness shapes preferences for and perceptions of community in pervasive ways. Participants described community involvement not as a means to move away from illness experiences and identities but as a process that is substantially influenced by them. Mental health communities may help individuals with serious mental illness to both manage their illness and recognize and enjoy a sense of community. The findings indicate the need for further research on the relationship between community integration and outcome in serious mental illness.
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U2 - 10.1176/appi.ps.201200235
DO - 10.1176/appi.ps.201200235
M3 - Article
C2 - 23545784
AN - SCOPUS:84883162263
SN - 1075-2730
VL - 64
SP - 672
EP - 679
JO - Psychiatric Services
JF - Psychiatric Services
IS - 7
ER -