Socially differentiated life trajectories of individuals with experience of psychosis: A biographical study

Publication date: Available online 14 February 2019Source: Mental Health & PreventionAuthor(s): Eugenie Georgaca, Anastasia ZissiAbstractThe role of social factors in the development and course of psychotic disorders has been increasingly acknowledged in recent decades. The present study examines the role of social, family and environmental factors in shaping biographical trajectories of people experiencing psychosis. Biographical interviews were conducted with 27 individuals with experience and diagnosis of psychotic disorders, in several locations in Greece. The narratives were subjected to biographical analysis, culminating in the formation of five biographical types, characterized by stigma, chronicity, marginalization, suffering and defiance. Early recognition and community management of distress were found to distinguish participants with more favorable therapeutic itineraries. Availability of community mental health services, access to empowering popular and professional discourses and participation in interpersonal relationships and social networks seem to exercise positive influence, while internalized social stigma, possibly related to primary socialization in restrictive familial environments, and lack of access to resources can be detrimental.
Source: Mental Health and Prevention - Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research