Persistent and severely mentally ill clients' perceptions of their mental illness.

This qualitative, exploratory study examines severely mentally ill clients' perceptions of their illness and the effects of this illness on their lives. The major purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of severely mentally ill clients. Subjects included 15 clients in an out patient mental health clinic in a veterans' hospital in the upper midwestern United States. A phenomenologic methodology was used, with subjects being interviewed until common themes emerged. The data were analyzed utilizing a seven-step method. Four major themes emerged in the data analysis. Identification of these themes provided a meaningful way to synthesize the data and identify those concepts that best capture and name the personal perceptions of severely and persistently mentally ill people. The four themes identified were stigmatization and the resulting alienation, loss, a pervasive feeling of distress, and acceptance on two dimensions (a personal acceptance of having a mental illness and a need for acceptance by others). Although the individuality of each client was evident in the data obtained, each theme represents a collective perspective that emerged from the analysis of the data.