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Stigma and recovery in the narratives of peer support workers in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Catarina Magalhães Dahl ,
Flavia Mitkiewicz de Souza ,
Giovanni Marcos Lovisi  and
Maria Tavares Cavalcanti
Catarina Magalhães Dahl
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, email catdahl@hotmail.com
Flavia Mitkiewicz de Souza
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Giovanni Marcos Lovisi
Affiliation:
Institute of Collective Health Studies, Federal University Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Maria Tavares Cavalcanti
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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Abstract

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Stigma attaching to mental illness has been considered a major challenge to public policies, to the provision of care and to the well-being of people who live with the experience of mental illness worldwide. Here we discuss narratives from peer support workers which we obtained during the assessment of a new psychosocial intervention programme in Rio de Janeiro. We used a range of focus groups, in-depth interviews and clinical supervision notes to derive these narratives, which covered topics such as the peer support workers' perceptions of family and social views, their sense of self and the experience of being stigmatised. We conclude that stigma appears to be a barrier to recovery. Peer support work for people with severe mental illness is a strategy that may help them to overcome stigma and discrimination. Fostering mutuality and hope in the context of peer support helps affected individuals to make sense of their being in the world and can facilitate their recovery.

Type
Thematic papers: Stigma in Latin America
Information
BJPsych International , Volume 12 , Issue 4 , November 2015 , pp. 83 - 85
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists 2015

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