title: Barriers to and facilitators of the acceptance process for individuals with serious mental illness.
abstract: The process of acceptance of mental illness is a central component of recovery and has been linked to functioning, illness management, and quality of life. A number of barriers and facilitators have been theorized as impacting this process. This study was conducted with 30 participants with serious mental illness (a major psychiatric disorder with impairment in multiple areas of functioning) to elicit the barriers to and facilitators of the acceptance of mental illness. Grounded theory methodology was utilized to analyze the 30 semistructured interviews. Results revealed barriers to and facilitators of acceptance of mental illness at the micro level (cognitive, emotional, behavioral, identity-related), meso level (relational), and macro level (cultural, systemic). Clinical and research implications are discussed with regard to facilitating acceptance of mental illness.
authors.affiliation: Worcester State University, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA lauren.mizock@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Lauren
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mizock
authors.affiliation: Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Zlatka
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Russinova
authors.affiliation: Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Uma Chandrika
authors.initials: UC
authors.lastname: Millner
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001519:Behavior; D003071:Cognition; D003469:Culture; D005260:Female; D066296:Grounded Theory; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011584:Psychology; D029181:Spirituality; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: bipolar disorder; depression; grounded theory; mental health and illness; psychosocial issues; qualitative analysis; recovery; rehabilitation; research, qualitative; schizophrenia