Readmission to a psychiatric hospital: the comprehension of the health/illness process through the experience of daily life

Abstract

This study is part of a research that aimed at identifying the daily life of people with mental disruptions who are re-admitted to psychiatric hospitals. It was possible to pinpoint that these individuals express several conceptions of the health/mental illness process and that they also distinguish the kinds of treatment they go through. As far as methodology is concerned the study used the qualitative approach based on Agnes Heller's concept of daily life. The interviews with patients and their relatives were submitted to speech analysis, which showed, among other results, that relatives have developed new tools and possibilities in order to understand the patients' mental state and provide them with the necessary assistance.