BALANCING ACT: IDENTITY MANAGEMENT AND SELF-CARE IN 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).