"Heaven and Hell on Earth" A critical discourse analysis of religious terms in Norwegian autobiographies describing personal experience of mental health problems

This article explores the use of religious terms in six Norwegian autobiographies written between 1925 and 2005 by people who themselves have been patients in the mental health services. Through a critical discourse analysis, we discuss the functions of religious discourse in the texts and its posit...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Mental health, religion & culture religion & culture, 2013-10, Vol.16 (8), p.781-796
Main Authors: Andersen, Anders J.W., Hasund, Ingrid Kristine, Larsen, Inger Beate
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Autobiographical Materials
Autobiographies
critical discourse analysis
Critical Theory
Discourse Analysis
Health Problems
Health Professions
Health services
Mental Health
Mental health care
Mental Health Services
Norwegian mental health services
religious discourse
religious terms
Sociocultural Factors
Workers
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Summary:This article explores the use of religious terms in six Norwegian autobiographies written between 1925 and 2005 by people who themselves have been patients in the mental health services. Through a critical discourse analysis, we discuss the functions of religious discourse in the texts and its position in contrast to the medical discourse predominant in today's mental health services. It was found that religious (predominantly Christian) terms were used to varying degrees in all autobiographies as a means to capture the immensity and inherent ambivalence characteristic of mental health problems. Despite the "medical turn" in professional mental health discourse, there is no clear evidence of a decrease in the use of religious terms from the oldest to the most recent text. We propose that professional mental health workers to a larger extent take into account the religious dimension in therapy, and reflect on its larger historical and sociocultural context.
ISSN:1367-4676
1469-9737
DOI:10.1080/13674676.2012.721347