Perceptions of People with Mental Disorders about Their Mental Health Condition; An Exploratory Study

This exploratory study was conducted to explore how people who have been diagnosed with mental disorders perceive their mental health condition, and their descriptions of lived experience of it. It also explored how their mental health condition might influence how they perceive themselves, their relationships, and how they engage the world around them through their activities. Sixteen participants (16) with a diagnosis of a mental disorder were the sample. The participants of the study were taking medication for the diagnosed mental disorder from a period of a minimum of six (06) months up to fortyseven (47) years. The data were collected at the Psychiatric Clinic, the General Hospital (Teaching), Kandy. The data were interpreted using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). It was identified that all the participants defined and understood mental health and mental illness through their lived experiences of mental illness. It was also identified that most of the participants experience some element of unhappiness or dissatisfaction because of their mental illness. However, the participants' positive self-esteem has played an important role in adjusting to the identity with the mental illness. The participants also valued the physical and psychological support they receive from their family members and others when they deal with their mental illness. Emotional support was highly valued by almost all the participants. It is expected that the generated knowledge of this research would help mental health professionals to work with families to construct an enabling view of the person with the illness and move away from treating them as helpless and irresponsible. Keywords: Self-Perception; Self-Identity; Self-esteem; Mental Health; Mental Illness