Journal
SOCIAL SCIENCE & MEDICINE
Volume 123, Issue -, Pages 7-17Publisher
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2014.10.048
Keywords
United Kingdom; Discrimination; Stigma; Critical realism; Morphogenesis; Bipolar disorder; Borderline personality disorder; Mental illness
Funding
- National Institute for Health Research under its Programme Grants for Applied Research scheme [RP-PG-0606-1053]
- National Institutes of Health Research (NIHR) [RP-PG-0606-1053] Funding Source: National Institutes of Health Research (NIHR)
- National Institute for Health Research [RP-PG-0606-1053] Funding Source: researchfish
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This study explores experiences of stigma and discrimination amongst people diagnosed with bipolar disorder (BD) or borderline personality disorder (BPD). Inspired by Margaret Archer's morphogenetic sequence and the ontological depth of critical realism, a temporal framework for stigmatisation, incorporating structure and agency, is developed and used to situate these experiences. A literature review found very little existing research on the subjective experience of stigma amongst these diagnostic groups. Indeed, most mental illness stigma research is quantitative and focussed on schizophrenia and depression. In-depth interviews were conducted with twenty-nine people diagnosed with BD or BPD, along with five 'friendship' mini-focus groups within the UK. Participants were recruited via charities and participant networking. Using thematic analysis, along with abductive and retroductive inference, experiences and anticipation of stigma and discrimination for participants with one of the two diagnoses in various contexts of social interaction were found to coincide with 'four faces' of oppression: cultural imperialism (pathologisation, normalisation and stereotyping), powerlessness, marginalisation and violence. Such experiences implied a range of antecedent social and cultural structures. Implications for the stigma concept are discussed. (C) 2014 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
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