89 Clinical treatment interventions and personal recovery RESULTS Of the 26 participants, 19 were male, 7 female. Ages ranged between 33 and 67. 18 participants had a schizophrenia spectrum disorder, 8 an affective or personality disorder. We found that most clinical treatment interventions can have both positive and negative impact on personal recovery. Besides the categories defined during the design of the study, no additional overarching clinical themes were identified in the narratives. The results are graphically presented in figure 1. The views of the participants on the clinical interventions are described in more detail below, divided into positive and negative experiences/subthemes: 1. Receiving a diagnosis Positive experiences A substantial part of the respondents experienced receiving a diagnosis as supportive. It helped a respondent refraining from self-blame for his problems: R: “During the first ten years it was all my fault: I didn’t have a job, I was going crazy, that was my fault as well, and I couldn’t handle anything. So, yeah, when you hear you’re schizophrenic, and that it’s just something in your head, in your blood, in your chemistry, then I’m not really to blame for all of it.” ~ P007 It also helped to accept illness and move on: R: “You have to accept it, yes. And if you can accept it, you can move on.” ~ P002 Negative experiences Receiving a diagnosis was perceived as an obstruction in the way to recovery by several participants. The following respondent describes that having a psychiatric diagnosis is not as accepted as a physical diagnosis. R: “Sounds nice, ‘psychiatric diagnosis’, but it means that you will have a disadvantage compared to physical disorders. Physical disorders are accepted, but mental disorders not.” ~ P040 5
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