Examine what psychiatric diagnosis means for self and identity
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Examine how service-users talk about their psychiatric diagnosis and its meaning for self and identity
IRAS ID
161173
Contact name
Suzanne E Platt
Contact email
Research summary
This study will explore the ways people talk about their psychiatric diagnosis, the meaning to them of receiving a diagnosis and how/whether they have integrated it into the construction of their identity.
Many people have reported receiving a psychiatric diagnosis helpful with Williams and Healy (2001) finding that most people in their study sought and accepted a medical explanation for their distress stating it validated their experience. However there is growing evidence that the stigma and negative assumptions widely held in society about mental health are problematic for a person's sense of self. Literature suggests that people can adopt the negative characteristics often ascribed to a diagnosis and internalise these, often resulting in an unwanted identity (Corrigan, Watson & Barr, 2006).
Despite the variety of narratives regarding how service-users feel about their diagnosis, research that considers both the positive and negative experiences of diagnosis and the effect on identity is sparse with the majority detailing negative accounts.
A series of focus groups containing service-users from the service-user-provider network known as ResearchNet will explore experiences of diagnosis, both positive and negative and how it may have shaped people's identity or not. This may bring together polarised perspectives on the function of diagnosis and potentially enable new ways of talking about it that are helpful when people think about what it means for them.
Each focus group will last 90 minutes and each participant will be invited to attend one out of five groups. The results from the study will contribute to the literature on diagnosis and offer an in-depth analysis of what a mental health diagnosis means for self and identity. This can help practitioners consider the complexity of selfhood in their clinical practice as well as giving service-users the opportunity to reflect on diagnosis and how it affects them.
REC name
London - Bromley Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/LO/1733
Date of REC Opinion
16 Sep 2014
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion