Renegotiating Identities: Experiences of Loss and Recovery for Women With Bipolar Disorder
Along with major changes in mood, people living with bipolar disorder (BD) often experience recurrent hospital admissions, feelings of failure and hopelessness, social stigma, underemployment, and a loss of independence. In this study we explored the experiences of loss, coping, and recovery in a co...
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| Format: | Journal Article |
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Sage Publications
2014
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/18528 |
| _version_ | 1848749769820733440 |
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| author | Fernandez, M. Breen, Lauren Simpson, T. |
| author_facet | Fernandez, M. Breen, Lauren Simpson, T. |
| author_sort | Fernandez, M. |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Along with major changes in mood, people living with bipolar disorder (BD) often experience recurrent hospital admissions, feelings of failure and hopelessness, social stigma, underemployment, and a loss of independence. In this study we explored the experiences of loss, coping, and recovery in a community sample of women living with BD. Ten women each participated in a semistructured interview. We used the constant comparative method to analyze the data. We identified three themes from the data: identity bound by the diagnostic label, multidimensional effects of the bipolar disorder identity, and strategies for renegotiating identity. For these women, recovery involved an ongoing process of balancing their sick self with their healthy self. The findings contribute to conceptualizations of loss, coping mechanisms for dealing with loss, and the relevance of loss in recovery for people living at the margins with BD. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T07:26:12Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-18528 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T07:26:12Z |
| publishDate | 2014 |
| publisher | Sage Publications |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-185282017-09-13T13:47:28Z Renegotiating Identities: Experiences of Loss and Recovery for Women With Bipolar Disorder Fernandez, M. Breen, Lauren Simpson, T. social identity mental health and illness constant comparison bipolar disorder recovery Along with major changes in mood, people living with bipolar disorder (BD) often experience recurrent hospital admissions, feelings of failure and hopelessness, social stigma, underemployment, and a loss of independence. In this study we explored the experiences of loss, coping, and recovery in a community sample of women living with BD. Ten women each participated in a semistructured interview. We used the constant comparative method to analyze the data. We identified three themes from the data: identity bound by the diagnostic label, multidimensional effects of the bipolar disorder identity, and strategies for renegotiating identity. For these women, recovery involved an ongoing process of balancing their sick self with their healthy self. The findings contribute to conceptualizations of loss, coping mechanisms for dealing with loss, and the relevance of loss in recovery for people living at the margins with BD. 2014 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/18528 10.1177/1049732314538550 Sage Publications fulltext |
| spellingShingle | social identity mental health and illness constant comparison bipolar disorder recovery Fernandez, M. Breen, Lauren Simpson, T. Renegotiating Identities: Experiences of Loss and Recovery for Women With Bipolar Disorder |
| title | Renegotiating Identities: Experiences of Loss and Recovery for Women With Bipolar Disorder |
| title_full | Renegotiating Identities: Experiences of Loss and Recovery for Women With Bipolar Disorder |
| title_fullStr | Renegotiating Identities: Experiences of Loss and Recovery for Women With Bipolar Disorder |
| title_full_unstemmed | Renegotiating Identities: Experiences of Loss and Recovery for Women With Bipolar Disorder |
| title_short | Renegotiating Identities: Experiences of Loss and Recovery for Women With Bipolar Disorder |
| title_sort | renegotiating identities: experiences of loss and recovery for women with bipolar disorder |
| topic | social identity mental health and illness constant comparison bipolar disorder recovery |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/18528 |