In sickness and in health: dilemmas of the person with severe mental illness

Abstract

In recent years, studies of person-disorder interactions, of problems of identity among discharged patients, and of subjective experiences of schizophrenia have made important contributions to our understanding of the posthospital fate of people with severe mental illness. Building on an earlier study of the experiences of a group of former mental patients in the community, this article attempts to highlight some of the issues and dilemmas that may arise for people with severe mental illness over time in their efforts to sustain a sense of identity and value that is not wholly defined or engulfed by mental illness.