The work deals with a mental illness called schizophrenia. The thesis consists of two parts, the theoretical part and the practical part. The theoretical part has five chapters, it has focused mainly on the interconnectedness of social work, psychiatry, psychology and ethics. First, it describes schizophrenia in general - how begins the illness, it signs and symptoms, diagnosis, course and prognosis and treatment options. I am focusing on the psychiatric aspects of schizophrenia, the social aspect of the disease and the ethics codes of various disciplines. The practical part is research, which is based on the interpretation of the results of a quantitative research. I opted a questionnaire as a research technice. The aim of this questionnaire is to find out which general knowledges has the adult population about schizophrenia and which views of schizophrenia are prevailing.

abstract: This dissertation explores the lives of women who are on the Severely Mentally Ill (SMI) caseload at Maricopa County Adult Probation in Arizona (The Phoenix metro region). The project focuses on three primary issues: (1) what are the pathways to the criminal justice and mental health systems for women on the SMI caseload (2) how does discretion and expansive formal social control (both benevolent and coercive) impact the lives of these women on the SMI caseload and (3) what are the gendered aspects to successful completion of SMI probation. To answer these questions a mixed-methods research design was employed. First, in-depth semi-structured interviews were completed with 65 women on the SMI caseload. Second, these interviews were supplemented with a case file review of each participant, and field observations (encompassing roughly 100 hours) were conducted at the Maricopa County Mental Health Court. Third, analysis also included 5.5 years of quantitative intake data from the SMI caseload, exploring demographic information and risk and assessment needs scores. The biographies of the women on the SMI caseload revealed similar histories of victimization, substance abuse, and relationship difficulty that previous pathways research has noted. Additionally, mental health problems directly impacted the path to the criminal justice system for some women on the SMI caseload. Results also showed many aspects of expanded social control for women on the SMI caseload. This expanded control appeared to be gendered at times and often created double binds for women. Finally, quantitative analysis showed that some predictive factors of SMI probation completion were gendered. Policy implications and summaries of findings are discussed. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Criminology and Criminal Justice 2013

Bakgrund: Skolsköterskan är en del av elevhälsan och arbetar med att främja elevers fysiska och psykiska hälsa. Psykisk ohälsa bland elever är ett växande samhällsproblem. Det är ofta skolsköterskan som får första kontakten med elever som lider av psykisk ohälsa genom hälsosamtalen. Syfte: Syftet är att beskriva hur skolsköterskor upptäcker samt stödjer elever med psykisk ohälsa på högstadiet. Metod: Studien genomfördes med en kvalitativ metod. Datainsamlingen utfördes genom intervjuer med semistrukturerade frågor, sex skolsköterskor i två kommuner i sydöstra Sverige deltog. Resultatet analyserades fram genom kvalitativ innehållsanalys med induktiv ansats. Resultat: Första steget för att kunna stödja elever som lider av psykisk ohälsa är att upptäcka. Upptäckten görs framförallt genom hälsosamtal men även genom skolsköterskors fysiska närvaro i lokaler på skolan. Skolsköterskans samarbete med andra vårdgivare och instanser är viktigt för att hjälpa elever. Slutsats: Skolsköterskan upptäcker och stödjer elever med psykisk ohälsa genom samtal, genom sin tillgänglighet både på skolan och på mottagningen. Upplevelsen är att genom samverkan med föräldrar, skolans personal och andra instanser kan både upptäckt och stöd erbjudas. / Background: The school nurse is part of the student health care and is working to promote students physical and mental health. Mental illness among students is a growing social problem. Most often it’s the school nurse who gets the first contact with students suffering from mental illness through the health interviews. Purpose: The purpose is to describe how school nurses detects and supports students with mental illness in high school. Method: The study was conducted using a qualitative method. The data collection was conducted through interviews with semistructured questions, six school nurses in two small municipality in southeastern Sweden participated. The result was analyzed by qualitative content analysis with inductive approach. Result: The first step to support students with mental illness is to detect it. The detection is made primarily through health interviews, but also through the physical attendance of school nurses in the premises of the school. The school nurses collaboration with other healthcare providers and agencies is important for helping students. Conclusion: The school nurse detects and supports students with mental illness through conversation, being available both at school and at reception. Collaboration with parents, school staff and other organizations is successful.

Bakgrund: Antalet personer med psykisk ohälsa ökar i Sverige och allt fler söker vård. Allt fler patienter söker sig till den somatisk akutsjukvården vilket gör den påfrestande arbetsbelastningen mer utmanande. En patient med psykisk ohälsa lever i en komplex situation och på grund av detta är det utmanande som sjuksköterska att skapa en fulländad förståelse för patientens välbefinnande. Att främja den vårdande relationen och värna om sjuksköterskans roll inom omvårdnad blir på så sätt utmanande. Syfte: Syftet är att beskriva hur sjuksköterskan upplever vårdande relationer med patienter med psykisk ohälsa inom somatisk akutsjukvård. Metod: En litteraturöversikt innehållande elva artiklar varav två var kvantitativa. Dessa artiklar analyserades enligt Fribergs modell. Reslutat: Det framträder fyra teman i resultatet. Varje tema är starkt influerande i den vårdande relationen. De teman som framkommer är: miljöns betydelse, känslor och erfarenheter, attityder och okunskap och behov av kompetens. Konklusion: Okunskap i kombination med tidspress, bristande kommunikation, attityder och bristfällig strukturell miljö påverkar sjuksköterskors upplevelser av det vårdande mötet med patienter med psykisk ohälsa negativt. / Background: The number of people with mental illness is increasing in Sweden and thenumber of healthcare seekers increases. More and more patients are looking for somaticemergency care, which makes workload more challenging. A patient with mental illnesslives in a complex life situation and therefore it´s challenging for a nurse to create acomplete understanding of the patient's well-being. Strengthening the caring relationshipand preserve the nurse's role in nursing will therefore be a challenge. Objective: Thepurpose is to describe how nurses experiences caring relationships with patients withmental illness in somatic emergency care. Method: A literature review. Result: Fourthemes appear in the result. Each theme is highly influential in the caring relationship. Thethemes that emerge are: The importance of the environment, emotions and experiences,attitudes and lack of knowledge, and need of qualification. Conclusions: Unknowledge incombination with time pressure, lack of communication, attitudes and inadequate structuralenvironment adversely affects nurses' experiences of the care meetings with patients withmental illness.

A Estratégia Saúde da Família se apresenta como um modelo de assistência em saúde que pode viabilizar a Reforma Psiquiátrica ao propor o tratamento do doente mental em serviço comunitário a partir das Unidades de Saúde da Família (USF) presentes em territórios de abrangência pré-definidos. Várias ações governamentais propiciam a criação de uma rede de assistência em saúde mental: equipes de matriciamento para a atenção primária em saúde, serviços secundários como os CAPS (Centros de Atenção Psicossocial), leitos psiquiátricos em hospitais gerais. O presente estudo busca identificar as representações de doença mental elaboradas por profissionais de saúde que atuam numa USF. Este trabalho é descritivo, de natureza qualitativa, no qual foi utilizado o estudo de caso. Para a coleta de dados foi utilizado o Procedimento Apresentativo-Expressivo com Tema (PAET) a partir de entrevistas com dezenove sujeitos de variadas formações e atribuições: médico, enfermeiro, auxiliar de enfermagem, dentista, auxiliar de consultório dentário, agentes comunitários de saúde, auxiliar administrativo e auxiliar de serviços gerais. Para a análise do material obtido foi utilizada a Análise Temática. Das elaborações produzidas surgiram os temas: doença mental ligada ao cuidado em saúde; doença mental ligada a visão médico-centrada; doença mental ligada ao binômio exclusão/inclusão; e doença mental ligada ao meio ambiente. A análise evidencia que as representações elaboradas acerca da doença mental estão ligadas ao paradigma biologicista, com reprodução de preconceitos. Por outro lado, foi destacado o acolhimento como fator importante no processo da assistência. De acordo com os sujeitos ouvidos a família tem dificuldade de integrar-se ao tratamento, pois não vislumbra que é parte importante do projeto terapêutico. Por sua vez, o serviço de saúde não consegue perceber-se como parte da comunidade. Desta maneira, o trabalho aponta a necessidade da desconstrução da atitude manicomial ainda intrinsecamente presente nos profissionais de saúde, no sentido da mudança paradigmática pautada pela Reforma Psiquiátrica e que, em municípios que historicamente possuem hospital psiquiátrico, há maior dificuldade de acontecer. Nesta perspectiva, a assistência em saúde mental passa também pela formação profissional, numa tentativa da transformação dos conteúdos ideoafetivos apresentados pelo imaginário da equipe de saúde, pois a ela cabe o cuidado a pessoa acometida pela doença mental residente em seu território. / Family Health Strategy is a model of health assistance that can make Psychiatric Reform viable by treating the mental disordered patients in a communital service offered by Family Health Units (FHU), which are found in previously defined regions. Several government actions favor a network for mental health assistance: specialist orientation for primary health care; secondary services, such as PCCs (Psychosocial Care Centers); psychiatric beds in general hospitals. This study intends to identify the representations of mental illnesses draw by health professionals who work in a FHU. This is a descriptive and qualitative project, where a case study method was used. Data were collected by Thematic Presentative-Expressive Procedure (TPEP) in interviews with nineteen subjects with varied background: doctor, nurse, nurse assistant, dentist, dentist assistant, health communital agents, administrative assistant and general assistant. The data were analysed by Thematic Analysis. The themes obtained were: mental illness related to health care; mental illness related to medical-centered view; mental illness related to the binomial exclusion/inclusion; mental illness related to environment. The analysis emphasizes that the representations of mental illnesses are related to the biologicist paradigm, which reproduces prejudice. On the other hand, attachment was pointed as an important factor on the patient care process. According to the interviewees, family members hardly take part in the treatment because they do not see themselves as an important part of the therapeutic project. In the same manner, the health service cannot see itself as part of the community. Thus, this work points out the necessity of a deconstruction on the pro-asylum attitude that is still intrinsically present among the health professionals, following the paradigmatic change proposed by the Psychiatric Reform, which is mostly difficult to achieve in places historically known as homes of asylums. Under this perspective, mental health care is also affected by professional formation, in an attempt to transform ideoaffective contents presented by the health team imaginary, which is the team caring for the mental disorder patients who live within their attended region.

CoordenaÃÃo de AperfeiÃoamento de Pessoal de NÃvel Superior / Esta dissertaÃÃo objetivou analisar os sentidos construÃdos sobre saÃde-doenÃa mental por participantes de um grupo terapÃutico do CAPS e suas implicaÃÃes ao processo de desinstitucionalizaÃÃo da loucura. Para tanto, esteve referenciada nos aportes da SaÃde Coletiva, no tocante a produÃÃo social do processo saÃde-doenÃa e ainda nas contribuiÃÃes teÃricas do campo da SaÃde Mental sobre a proposta de desinstitucionalizaÃÃo da loucura no cotidiano das prÃticas de cuidado e atenÃÃo aos usuÃrios. AlÃm dessas bases, o estudo conta tambÃm com o referencial da Teoria HistÃrico-Cultural da Mente, no que se refere Ãs suas elaboraÃÃes em torno da temÃtica dos sentidos. Metodologicamente, a pesquisa se configurou como uma investigaÃÃo de carÃter qualitativo. A pesquisa foi realizado no CAPS Geral da SER II de Fortaleza, por meio do contato com um dos grupos terapÃuticos dessa instituiÃÃo, o Grupo de Florescimento Humano. O contato com esse grupo iniciou-se em julho de 2010, primeiramente, por meio da metodologia da ObservaÃÃo Participante, com intuito de conhecer o modo de funcionamento dessa proposta terapÃutica. Posteriormente, foi realizada uma Entrevista Individual Semi-Estruturada com uma das participantes. Por fim, foi aplicado um questionÃrio escrito com doze pessoas do grupo, as quais tambÃm participaram de um CÃrculo de Cultura sobre o tema desta pesquisa. O material oriundo desses procedimentos foi registrado com o auxÃlio de um gravador de voz, em seguida, foi transcrito e analisado com base na metodologia da AnÃlise TemÃtica. Como resultado de tal proposta de anÃlise, foram categorizados trÃs temas que mais se destacaram do discurso dos participantes, quais sejam: a conceituaÃÃo da loucura e do processo saÃde-doenÃa mental; as histÃrias e âestÃriasâ que explicam as existÃncias-sofrimento e a produÃÃo da saÃde mental; a construÃÃo de sentidos e desinstitucionalizaÃÃo. Os achados desta pesquisa apontam que a loucura e o processo saÃde-doenÃa mental encontram-se imersos em um quadro de grande indefiniÃÃo cientÃfica, que gera muitas possibilidades de significaÃÃes em torno da questÃo. Os sentidos de saÃde e doenÃa mental produzidos com os participantes circularam em torno de adjetivos antagÃnicos que indicaram a presenÃa marcante de uma noÃÃo de saÃde mental como algo inalcanÃÃvel, por significar a ausÃncia de doenÃas. JÃ a doenÃa mental foi percebida como desajuste, erro, desequilÃbrio e acÃmulo de problemas. Por outro lado, os participantes tambÃm destacaram a existÃncia de diferentes modos de ser e existir no mundo como marcas de singularidades, que, frequentemente sÃo diagnosticadas como loucura. Eles apontaram apara a necessidade de convivÃncia com essas diferenÃas e com seu processo de sofrimento. Como mais um resultado do estudo, foi discutida a importÃncia da categoria sentido, como ferramenta essencial a ser valorizada e trabalhada na proposta de desinstitucionalizaÃÃo da loucura no cotidiano dos serviÃos de saÃde mental. / This paper aimed to analyze the constructed meanings of health-mental illness participating in a therapeutic group of CAPS and its implications to the process of institutionalization of madness. To do so, was referenced in the contributions of Public Health, regarding the social production of health-disease process and also on the theoretical contributions of the field of Mental Health on the proposal of de-institutionalization of madness in the daily practice of care and attention to users. In addition to these bases, the study also has the frame of the Cultural-Historical Theory of Mind, with regard to their elaborations around the theme of the senses. Methodologically, the research was configured as a qualitative research. The study was conducted at the General CAPS II, Fortaleza-Ce, through contact with an institution of the therapy groups, the group of human flourishing. Contact with this group began in July 2010, primarily through the methodology of participant observation, in order to understand the mode of operation of the proposed therapy. Subsequently, we performed an Individual Semi-Structured Interview with one of the participants. Finally, a questionnaire was written in twelve people in the group, which also participated in a Culture Circle on the subject of this research. Material from these methodologies was recorded by audio-recorded, transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis. As a result of this proposed analysis, three themes were categorized that stood out the speech of the participants, namely: the concept of madness and mental health-disease process, the stories and "stories" that explain the stock-suffering and production mental health, the construction of meanings and deinstitutionalization. The findings of this survey indicate that the madness and the health-mental illness find themselves immersed in a framework of great scientific uncertainty, which generates many possible meanings around the issue. The meanings of health and mental illness produced with participants circulated around opposing adjectives that indicated the presence of a remarkable notion of mental health as something unattainable, because it signifies the absence of disease. Since mental illness was perceived as a misfit, error, imbalance and accumulation of problems. On the other hand, participants also highlighted the existence of different modes of being and existence in the world as marks of singularities, which are often diagnosed as insane. They pointed out the need to trim live with these differences and their grieving process. As a result of the study, it is pointed towards the category as an essential tool to be valued and worked in the proposed institutionalization of madness in everyday mental health services.

Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2017-05-17T14:05:14Z No. of bitstreams: 1 fabriciacretonnery.pdf: 1389756 bytes, checksum: 7b9d42489973e21dbeb3d33de859dca5 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2017-05-17T16:26:00Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 fabriciacretonnery.pdf: 1389756 bytes, checksum: 7b9d42489973e21dbeb3d33de859dca5 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-05-17T16:26:01Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 fabriciacretonnery.pdf: 1389756 bytes, checksum: 7b9d42489973e21dbeb3d33de859dca5 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-12-20 / CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / CNPq - Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / O estudo do estigma entre a população portadora de transtorno mental tem apresentado significativos avanços na literatura internacional, representado um indicativo de necessidade e relevância de estudos na área. No entanto, grande parte dos estudos tem apresentado como foco de investigação a perspectiva do estigmatizador e pouco se conhece sobre o fenômeno na perspectiva do estigmatizado, o chamado estigma internalizado ou autoestigma. O estigma internalizado é considerado o efeito negativo mais significativo do estigma social e pode provocar a perda de status, baixa autoestima e esperança, falta de aderência ao tratamento, entre outros prejuízos. Faz-se necessário o desenvolvimento de estudos na área, inclusive no desenvolvimento de instrumentos de avaliação, pois esta é uma ferramenta importante para avanços do conhecimento e melhorias de intervenção. Neste contexto, a presente pesquisa foi dividida em dois estudos: 1) Realizar a tradução e adaptação cultural da Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness – ISMI para o contexto brasileiro; 2) Avaliar as propriedades psicométricas da escala ISMI adaptada para o Brasil. No primeiro estudo a ISMI foi traduzida para o português e retrotraduzida para o inglês. Todas as observações foram acatadas pelo comitê de peritos para a consolidação da versão final, que foi submetida ao pré-teste. Não foi necessária nenhuma alteração e a versão foi avaliada em suas propriedades psicométricas. No segundo estudo foram entrevistados 308 pacientes dos serviços de saúde mental da cidade de Juiz de Fora, MG. O questionário foi composto pelos instrumentos: Escala de Estigma Internalizado para Transtorno Mental – ISMI BR; Escala de Autoestima de Rosenberg (EAER); Escala de Esperança de Herth (EEH); Escala de rastreamento populacional para depressão do Centro de Estudos Epidemiológicos (CES-D) e questionário sócio demográfico. Quanto ao tipo de tratamento a qual os pacientes se vinculavam, 25% (n=76) frequentavam o serviço diariamente e 75% (n=232) frequentavam o serviço para consultas periódicas. No que se refere ao diagnóstico, a maior incidência foi de Transtornos de Humor (afetivos), com 47,7%, seguido de Transtornos neuróticos, relacionados ao estresse e somatoformes ( 27,3%) e Esquizofrenia, transtornos esquizotípicos e delirantes (25%). A média de idade foi de 46 anos variando de 19 a 72 anos de idade. Quanto ao tempo de tratamento, 35% (n=108) relataram fazer tratamento a mais de 11 anos. A fidedignidade do instrumento foi considerada alta, uma vez que o Coeficiente alpha de Cronbach foi de 0,90, o Coeficiente de Spearman-Brown (Split-half) foi de 0,86 e a correlação teste reteste foi de 0,80. A evidência de validade de construto pela Análise por hipótese mostrou-se de acordo com os apontamentos da literatura. Os índices de correlação foram satisfatórios, sendo: ISMI e EE =-0,62; ISMI e EAER =-0,67 e ISMI e CES-D =0,59. A Escala de Estigma Internalizado para Transtorno Mental – ISMI-BR apresentou boas propriedades psicométricas demonstrando ser útil para a população brasileira. A escala poderá contribuir para investigação, compreensão e avanços no tratamento do estigma internalizado entre portadores de transtorno mental. / The study of stigma among the population with mental illness have shown significant advances in the international literature, representing an indication of need and relevance of studies in the area. However, most studies have focused on the perspective of stigmatizer and little is known about the phenomenon from the perspective of the stigmatized, called internalized stigma or self-stigma. Internalized stigma is considered the most significant negative effect of social stigma and can result in loss of status, low self-esteem, hopelessness, lack of adherence to treatment, among other damages. It is necessary to develop studies in the area, including the development of assessment tools, which is important tool for advances in knowledge and for improving interventions. In this context, the present study was divided into two studies: 1) To do the translation and cultural adaptation of Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness scale - ISMI for the Brazilian context, 2) To assess the psychometric properties of the ISMI for Brazil scale. In the first studie, the ISMI was translated into Portuguese and translated back into English. All comments were accepted by the committee of experts to consolidate the final version, which was submitted to the pre-test. There was no change needed and the version was evaluated on its psychometric properties. In the second studie 308 patients of mental health services were interviewed in the city of Juiz de Fora, MG. The questionnaire was composed of the instruments: the Escala de Estigma Internalizado para Transtorno Mental – ISMI-BR; the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (EAER), the Herth Hope Scale (EEH), Center for Epidemiologic Studies (CES-D) and demographic questionnaire . Regarding the type of treatment to which patients were linked, 25% (n=76) attended the service daily and 75% (n=232) attending the service for periodic cappointments. With regard to diagnosis, the highest incidence was Mood disorders (affective), with 47.7 %, followed by Neurotic, stress-related and somatoform disorders (27.3%) and Schizophrenia, schizotypal and delusional disorders (25%). The mean age was 46 years ranging from 19 to 72 years old. Regarding the duration of treatment, 35% (n=108) reported being in treatment fo more than 11 years. The reliability of the instrument was considered high, since the Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.90, the Spearman-Brown coefficient (split-half) was 0.86 and test-retest correlation was 0.80. The evidence for the construct valididy by the hypothesis Analysis was consistent with the literature. Correlation coefficients were satisfactory, being: ISMI and EE=-0.62; ISMI and EAER=-0.67 and ISMI and CES- D=0.59. The Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness Scale - ISMI - BR presented good psychometric properties and demonstrated to be useful for the Brazilian population. The scale can contribute to research, knowledge and advances in the treatment of internalized stigma among individuals with mental illness.

M.A. / Once upon a time in a kingdom that existed along the outskirts of our land, there lived some people who were not too popular in our kingdom because they did not cleave to the way of our world. So, these people were locked away, and sentenced to spend time in our dungeons until they were ready to accept the way the kingdom was run. Delusional Dave believed that he was to marry the princess, even though she was only 11 years old. He was of a lowly nature, not even comparing to the standards of a page in the —courts. It was not acceptable that he should even imagine being with a princess maiden, let alone a princess. Sweet Sandy would rant about ideas that were ahead of the times. She believed that she could run the world through programs in her head, she adhered to the concept of infinity, with millions of people working for her. How could such a lowly subject of the kingdom imagine to have such self imposed importance among so many? Rancid Robby was not an agreeable character in the kingdom, because he admonished others through his belief that they were doubles, impostors to do him harm. He believed that the impostors who paraded as the 'doctors' and 'healers' of the kingdom had planted in his head a microchip so small, whereby damage to his brain would occur daily. These three subjects of the kingdom could be heard screaming, ranting and raving into the small hours of the night. Their cries would fall on deaf ears, as the superiority who ran the kingdom and operated the working of the dungeons, would not listen to the cries of madness, would not hear what the people were trying so desperately to say, and could not find it in their hearts to bring relief and comfort to those with the desperate cries. Oh, not to slander the good of the people, the 'decision-makers', who were in charge of deciding the fate of the madmen. They wanted so badly to help, but all they knew was the 'truth' that ran the soul of the kingdom. That truth being the directive of 'conform to the ways of the world or die in the dungeons'. If only Delusional Dave, Sweet Sandy and Rancid Robby were to conform and be like the others in the kingdom, then they would survive. Alas, this was not to be.... This story does not have a happy ending, as these poor subjects of the kingdom were soon lost in the abyss of the one and only reality that the kingdom was prepared to see and hear. That of normality...

Disruptive behaviour disorders (DBDs) in children are among the most common referrals to mental health services and can lead to adverse psychosocial outcomes. There is consistent evidence that dysfunctional parenting, which has been associated with parental psychopathology, is a risk factor for the onset of these disorders. Yet, few studies have explored a wide range of parental pathology and parenting behaviours as well as perceptions of mental health and parenting of the parents of children with DBDs. This study, which took the form of a multiple case study, aimed to explore and describe the mental health and parenting of parents of pre-adolescent and adolescent children with DBDs. It also aimed to explore and describe parental perceptions of their own mental health and parenting and how (or if) they perceive their mental health as influencing their parenting. Purposive sampling was used to select participants and the sample size was determined through data saturation. Data was collected via the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory and a semi-structured interview. Thematic content analysis and cross-case synthesis were used to analyse the data. The participants’ personality profiles indicated the presence of moderate to severe pathology including personality disorders and clinical disorders. Parenting themes that emerged included a number of dysfunctional parenting behaviours. The parents showed an awareness of their mental health and perceived it as influencing their parenting. This study emphasised the importance of exploring mental health and parenting interventions for parents of children with DBDs. The biggest limitations of this study was the small sample size.

The purpose of this study is to examine the rhetorical function of mental illness regarding the way it constructs the public view of individuals with mental illness. The study is based on the following research questions: What is the rhetorical function of mental illness during the time period 1951-2016? How has the language used to describe mental illness changed over time? How does language use construct and deconstruct the public view on mental illness? Methods based on theories about ideology, genre and discourse have been used to disclose the view on mental illness in medical discourse. The results indicate that the rhetorical function of mental illness is to construct what is normal or deviant. The results also suggest that language use changes the public perception of mental illness. This study shows that the medical discourse is a powerful tool to decrease stigma related to mental illness.