What is the lived experience of being discharged from a psychiatric inpatient stay?

Abstract

The first part of this thesis contains a narrative review of the literature relating to how people with mental illness cope with stigma. The majority of the research has focussed on models of stigma, the impact of stigma on individuals and campaigns to combat stigma. There is limited research exploring how people cope with stigma and the effectiveness of these strategies. The review highlights the need for further research in this area to inform interventions.

The second part of the thesis contains a qualitative research study, which aimed to provide an understanding of how individuals with a mental illness described their experiences of being discharged from psychiatric inpatient stays. Suicide rates post-discharge remain high despite discharge planning and discharge interventions, yet little is known about why discharge can be so difficult for individuals. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to analyse interviews from eight individuals who had been discharged within the last three years. The analysis highlighted five superordinate themes: the hospital experience, the experience of discharge, the outside world, the journey to health and self-beliefs/identity. The results are discussed in relation to previous findings and implications for future research and clinical practice.

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