D.Litt.et Phil. / Please refer to full text to view abstract

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology. 2016 / Bipolar disorder is a chronic, turbulent mental disorder that is associated with feelings of distress and ‘caregiver burden’ for those who are close to people diagnosed with it. Although there is a relatively large body of literature on ‘caregivers’ of people with chronic mental illness, it is argued that this body of research has been reductionist and one-dimensional. Furthermore, the extant research has, in general, treated any person close to someone with bipolar disorder as a ‘caregiver’, without giving attention to the unique relational dynamics between two people. This is especially true for romantic partners of people with mental illness. This study used a social constructionist approach and a narrative methodology to analyse individual interviews with five people who are or had been in an intimate relationship with someone with bipolar disorder. This study used Bamberg’s (1997) positioning analysis to explore the ways in which the participants constructed important characters, their audience and themselves in their narratives of living with someone with bipolar disorder. It was found that there are many more possibilities for dynamics between a person and his or her partner with bipolar disorder than a simple caregiver-care receiver dynamic. It was also found that for the participants the term ‘caregiver’ is not an appropriate description of their role and position. This research is important as an example of embracing the complexity of family members’ experiences of mental illness, and to open the possibility of narrative intervention for partners of people with bipolar disorder

This thesis contains two parts: a novella, Plum Sickness and a critical essay, Wrestling the Blue Cactus: grappling for meaning through story and the self: writing depressive illness. The novella tells a story of Judith Black, a young woman with depressive illness. It begins with her admission to hospital after a suicide attempt, then goes back in time to explore her relationships with her lover Michael, and her parents John and Aileen Black. There are fantasy passages showing her attempts to deal with negative attitudes to mental illness as well as the illness itself. The critical essay is a deliberate effort to explore the various influences on my approach to the writing of depressive illness without referring to any personal illness experience of my own, and without making detailed reference to Plum Sickness. I wanted to write a piece that could stand on its own, as well as an accompaniment to the novella, and I kept the depressed person in mind as my reader. The essay begins with particular medical writings, is followed by memoir, Anne Sexton's poetry, Virginia Woolf, The Imitation of Christ, self-help literature, and finishes with self-representation in fiction and an exploration of storytelling through The Blank Page by Isak Dinesen.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--UCLA, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 100-102).

Thesis, PlanA (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--Rochester Institute of Technology, 2006. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaf 31).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Dallas, 2006. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 44-52).

Many international studies have been conducted on paediatric bipolar disorder, but few research studies have been conducted on parenting a child diagnosed with bipolar disorder, both on an international and national level. The researcher utilised Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory as the theoretical framework in exploring and describing this research field. The study has been conducted by means of a systematic review and all of the articles included in the review examined some aspect of parenting and paediatric bipolar disorder. The articles were systematically assessed, and six themes emerged which include: paediatric bipolar on the rise; the effects of paediatric bipolar disorder, post-paediatric bipolar disorder; managing paediatric bipolar disorder is a family responsibility; foundations for effective parenting; and supporting parents of a paediatric bipolar patient.

No description available.

The management of acute psychosis is a constant challenge to the health care system, with only a limited amount of research providing data for allied health care practitioners. Despite anecdotal data indicating that music therapy may be an effective intervention, there have been few studies to date which provide any rigorous empirical evidence. This project aimed to test several hypotheses. The study has shown that music therapy is a valuable therapeutic adjunct to standard ward programs for the management of an acute psychotic episode resulting in shorter hospital stays, considerable cost savings and significant improvement in symptomatology as judged by the standardized measures employed. In addition, EFG testing while listening to self-chosen music demonstrated a reduction in dysfunctional brain wave activity. This project has highlighted the importance of music therapy in allied mental health care and opens up the need for further research into the management of such a large disease burden in Australia. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)