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Beyond coping with mental illness: toward personal growth
1School of Social Work, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel. ghanoch@bezeqint.net
The American Journal of Orthopsychiatry
|August 19, 2003
Summary
Individuals with severe mental illness actively seek meaning and personal growth despite their conditions. Living with schizophrenia and related disorders can foster positive change and development.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Clinical Psychology
- Mental Health Research
Background:
- Severe mental illness, including schizophrenia, presents significant challenges to individuals' lives.
- Understanding the subjective experiences of those with severe mental illness is crucial for effective treatment.
- Personal growth and adaptation are often overlooked aspects in the recovery process.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the active sense-making processes of individuals with severe mental illness.
- To investigate the initiation of personal growth during the course of severe mental illness.
- To understand how individuals with schizophrenia and related disorders navigate their conditions.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study design over a 1-year period.
- Bimonthly comprehensive assessments.
- Inclusion of 43 individuals hospitalized for schizophrenia and related disorders.
Main Results:
- Individuals with severe mental illness actively engage in making sense of their disorders.
- Processes of personal growth and change can be generated while living with severe mental illness.
- The study identified specific adaptive strategies and meaning-making efforts.
Conclusions:
- Severe mental illness does not preclude personal growth and development.
- Clinical interventions should consider and support individuals' active attempts at sense-making and growth.
- Theoretical frameworks for severe mental illness recovery should incorporate these adaptive processes.