UNMASKING IDENTITIES: SELF-CARE STRATEGIES FOR THOSE WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA

Abstract

This study delves into the intricate interplay between mental illnesses, particularly severe conditions like schizophrenia, and the profound impact of social stigma and auto-stigmatization on the formation of an individual's social identity. Central to this examination is the recognition that stigma and autostigmatization hold significant sway over a patient's self-esteem, a pivotal factor influencing the trajectory of their illness and the process of healing from biographical ruptures (Bay, 1991). This interplay also exerts a critical influence on the overall quality of life in an environment marked by deep individuation, where the erosion of identity and the self poses a threat to the integrity of one's life story (Monaghan & Gates, 2015). Extensive research has underscored the vital connection between stigma and chronic illnesses, highlighting its central relevance in an increasingly individualized social context (Charmaz, 1983; Inman, 2019; Maffoni et al., 2017; Loco et al., 2009; Valasaki, 2021).

It is imperative to recognize that the management of stigma transcends a mere ancillary facet of mental illness, constituting a fundamental component thereof. It emerges as both an object of professional care and a domain of self-care, especially within the evolving landscape of community psychiatry taking shape in Greece, where long-term institutionalization is no longer the primary treatment paradigm (Madianos, 2020; Moudatsou et al., 2021; Missouridou et al., 2022).