"The Label Mental Illness" or "It's Showing Its Ugly Head...": Mothers' Conceptualizations of Mental Illness in Their Children

This grounded theory study examined the metaphors mothers used for mental illness when they had children who were. Two metaphor types were found: static and dynamic. Static metaphors for mental illness emphasized their unchanging qualities and problem-solving or learning strategies were highlighted...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	The American journal of family therapy Vol. 43; no. 5; pp. 467 - 479
Main Author:	Bohlinger, Anna I.
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Abingdon Routledge 20-10-2015 Brunner-Mazel Publishing Company
Subjects:	Children Children & youth Disease Grounded theory Mental disorders Metaphor Mothers Problem solving
Online Access:	Get full text
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Summary:	This grounded theory study examined the metaphors mothers used for mental illness when they had children who were. Two metaphor types were found: static and dynamic. Static metaphors for mental illness emphasized their unchanging qualities and problem-solving or learning strategies were highlighted as ways to approach them. Dynamic metaphors for mental illness highlighted how they were changeable. Positioning the diseases in a storyline, in which one could "try again tomorrow," was one of the primary ways participants described approaching them. Clinical implications of this research may increase family engagement with treatment.
ISSN:	0192-6187 1521-0383
DOI:	10.1080/01926187.2015.1080132