A Qualitative Study Examining Experiences and Dilemmas in Concealment and Disclosure of People Living With Serious Mental Illness

People with mental illnesses face the dilemma of whether to disclose or conceal their diagnosis, but this dilemma was scarcely researched. To gain in-depth understanding of this dilemma, we interviewed 29 individuals with mental illnesses: 16 with major depression/bipolar disorders and 13 with schiz...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Qualitative health research 2017-03, Vol.27 (4), p.573-583
Main Authors: Bril-Barniv, Shani, Moran, Galia S., Naaman, Adi, Roe, David, Karnieli-Miller, Orit
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Ascription
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar Disorder - psychology
Clinical decision making
Concealment
Consumers
Decision Making
Depressive Disorder, Major - psychology
Disclosure
Female
Health technology assessment
Humans
Illnesses
Israel
Male
Meaning
Medical diagnosis
Mental depression
Mental disorders
Mental Disorders - psychology
Middle Aged
Qualitative Research
Recovery
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenic Psychology
Severity of Illness Index
Social Stigma
Social Support
Stigma
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:People with mental illnesses face the dilemma of whether to disclose or conceal their diagnosis, but this dilemma was scarcely researched. To gain in-depth understanding of this dilemma, we interviewed 29 individuals with mental illnesses: 16 with major depression/bipolar disorders and 13 with schizophrenia. Using a phenomenological design, we analyzed individuals’ experiences, decision-making processes, and views of gains and costs regarding concealment and disclosure of mental illness. We found that participants employed both positive and negative disclosure/concealment practices. Positive practices included enhancing personal recovery, community integration, and/or supporting others. Negative practices occurred in forced, uncontrolled situations. We also identified various influencing factors, including familial norms of sharing, accumulated experiences with disclosure, and ascribed meaning to diagnosis. Based on these findings, we deepen the understanding about decision-making processes and the consequences of disclosing or concealing mental illness. We discuss how these finding can help consumers explore potential benefits and disadvantages of mental illness disclosure/concealment occurrences.
ISSN:1049-7323
1552-7557
DOI:10.1177/1049732316673581