Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 25, 2025

Integrating Computerized Linguistic and Social Network Analyses to Capture Addiction Recovery Capital in an Online Community
Published on: May 31, 2019
Recovery journey of people with a lived experience of schizophrenia: a qualitative study of experiences
Min Ma1, Zhidao Shi2, Yanhong Chen3
1Wuhan Mental Health center, Wuhan Hospital for Psychotherapy, Rehabilitation Department, Wuhan, China.
Background:
Mental health recovery involves an integration of clinical and psychosocial frameworks. The recovery journey of individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia and the factors that influence it have been extensively studied. Because the recovery journey is culturally influenced, we examined the recovery process expriences of individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia in China, focusing on the influence of a Confucian-dominated collectivist and family-centred culture.
Methods:
An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) study was conducted; data were gathered through in-depth interviews with 11 individuals with lived experience of schizophrenia.
Results:
Four themes were identified in this study: traumatic illness experiences, influence of the family, motives for recovery, and posttraumatic growth, comprising ten subthemes. "For the family" and "relying on oneself" are the main drivers of recovery for individuals with a Chinese cultural background. Some people believe that taking care of themselves is an important way to ease the burden on their families and treat them well. There is a link between 'for the family' and 'relying on oneself.
Conclusions:
Individuals living with schizophrenia in China have undergone significant traumatic experiences and have profound interactions with their families. Post-traumatic growth reflects an increase in the individual's connection to others and individual agency. It also suggests that the individual is not receiving enough support outside of the family. The impact of individual agency and family relationships should be considered in services that promote recovery, and clinic staff should enhance support outside the home to the individuals.
Related Concept Videos
Classification of Illness
An illness is a response to a disease in which the person's level of functioning is changed compared with a previous level. The general classification of illness includes acute and chronic.
Acute illness is severe...
Psychological and Sociocultural Causes of Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia
Psychosis: Goals of Pharmacotherapy
Psychosis: Pathophysiology of Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
Researchers have identified genetic factors that increase susceptibility to schizophrenia, underscoring the intricate interplay between genetics and environment in disease development. At the core of schizophrenia's pathophysiology is excessive dopaminergic neurotransmission within...
Positive Symptoms of Schizophrenia: Hallucinations and Delusions
Thought Disorders
Disorganized and unusual thought processes mark thought disorders in schizophrenia. One key feature is disorganized speech, where an individual's conversation includes...

