Personal consequences of the diagnosis of schizophrenia: a preliminary report from the inquiry into the schizophrenia label

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this survey was to describe the impact of the diagnosis of schizophrenia on the lives of people who receive the diagnosis.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors designed a questionnaire to investigate attitudes to and experiences of the diagnosis of schizophrenia. After a pilot study, they made the questionnaire available online and, through a network of service user and other organisations, solicited responses.

Findings

Of the 470 responses, 27.4 per cent were from service users. Content analysis of their responses revealed three main categories: concern with the consequences of the diagnosis and its negative impact on their lives, the life contexts of individuals before receiving the diagnosis, and concerns with medication and treatment. This paper deals with the first two.

Research limitations/implications

It is impossible to generalise the results of this survey because respondents self‐selected, and thus might be expected to have strong feelings against (or for) the diagnosis of schizophrenia.

Practical implications

The diagnosis of schizophrenia in this sample had devastating negative implications. It was experienced as harmful and stigmatising. Very few people understood their experiences as a biomedical disorder.

Social implications

A gulf exists between the experiences of people diagnosed with schizophrenia and the concerns of academics and others currently involved in debates about the merits of different systems of diagnosis.

Originality/value

This survey is valuable because it draws attention to experiences of diagnosis that are easily lost in the storm of academic controversies about diagnosis in psychiatry.

Citation

Thomas, P., Seebohm, P., Wallcraft, J., Kalathil, J. and Fernando, S. (2013), "Personal consequences of the diagnosis of schizophrenia: a preliminary report from the inquiry into the schizophrenia label", Mental Health and Social Inclusion, Vol. 17 No. 3, pp. 135-139. https://doi.org/10.1108/MHSI-05-2013-0013