A Grounded Theory Analysis of Mental Illness in the Life Course of Patients at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Enugu

📄 Project Abstract

This work is a qualitative investigation into the subjective experience, emergence and healing of mental illness in the course of the lives of patients. The researcher asked the questions: What in the course of the patient's life has contributed to the emergence of mental illness? How do the patients (or recipients of mental health care) describe their experiences, and what does the experience mean to them? Also, what does healing and recovery mean to the patients investigated? Adopting a qualitative (social constructivist) paradigm, the author investigated the subjective accounts and personal biographies of 5 patients at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Enugu. Five patients (out- and in-patients), diagnosed with various disorders ranging from bipolar affective disorder and dependence to manic depressive disorder and schizophrenia, granted their consent to be interviewed by the author - who served at the clinic for his internship training, and was well known by the patients. Usin...