Reflexive Construction Process Of Self-identity In Mood Disorder Rehabilitees

With the rapid development of social economy,people’s mental health is faced with challenges.In recent years,mood disorders have increasingly become a disease of social concern.Driven by policies,social work has become a part of professional mental health teams,providing services for mood disorder rehabilitees.However,there is a division between rehabilitees and mental health team in the understanding of disease,which is related to the self-understanding of the rehabilitees and affects the communication and cooperation between doctors and rehabilitees.Therefore,from the subjective perspective of mood disorder rehabilitees,the author conducts research on the reflexive construction process of self-identity of mood disorder rehabilitees.This study adopts qualitative research method and interviews 15 mood disorder rehabilitees living in the community.Through the analysis of the interview data,this study presents a series of interactions and reflections between the mood disorder rehabilitees and the drugs and "healers" that they confronted with during the rehabilitation,as well as the self-identity they constructed and the reflexive choices they made.The study found that,for one thing,taking medicine maintains the patient identity of the rehabilitees;for another,rehabilitees obtain help from "healers" of different perspectives,including psychiatry,psychology and tradition.By reflecting on the knowledge and interpretation provided by the "healers",the rehabilitees reflexively look into themselves,which accounts for their various understanding of the disease and the self.As a result,rehabilitees weigh the advantages and disadvantages of medication and take multiple measures to adjust themselves.The patient identity affects their willingness to establish social relationships.And the changing lifestyle contains the possibility of self-identity reconstruction.Based on the reflexive construction process of self-identity in mood disorder rehabilitees,this study provides social work with the following suggestions from two levels.As service providers,social workers need to assist rehabilitees to obtain information,understand the illness narratives,participate in self-identity reconstruction,and break the social isolation caused by patients’ identity.As mental health team members,social workers need to perceive the differences of explanatory models between rehabilitees and doctors,reconsider the collaboration in professional mental health team,and reflect on psychiatry discourse.Social workers should examine the possible negative effects caused by monopolzing problem explanation with professional knowledge,value the diverse narratives and explanatory models,and join hands with the rehabilitees to walk towards the doctor-patient alliance in the understanding and witnessing of their suffering.