LE3 .A278 2000

2000

MacKinnon, David

Acadia University

Master of Education

Masters

Counselling

Education

This thesis investigates and describes the experience of three individuals in the process of being diagnosed and treated for a mental illness. Essentially, the study was interested in how one defines and understands his or her 'life-world' within the context of a mental illness and how this affects one personally and professionally. Three individuals, one female and two males, ranging in age from 18-34 years were recruited into the study by contacting local psychiatrists. A qualitative methodological framework combined phenomenology, which explores lived human experiences, with hermeneutics, which seeks to explain how meaning is constructed, in examining the phenomenon of mental illness. A series of tape-recorded interviews using a semi-structured interview format provided the participant's data. In describing the experience of diagnoses and treatment of a mental illness, participants identified a number of issues: self-concept; stigma; fears; losses and frustrations; isolation and relationship dynamics; and insights and awareness. In personal reflections regarding the interview process, participants described the interviews as a positive experience, gaining benefits such as new insights, awareness, and a sense of closure with their illness. Implications regarding a phenomenological approach to the practice of counseling are discussed.

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https://scholar.acadiau.ca/islandora/object/theses:2881