Personal Narrative of Mental Illness within the Family: A Mental Health Professional’s Autoethnography

By : Shikha Soni

Page No: 69-76

Abstract
This autoethnography chronicles mental health issues and related outcomes of an individual within an Indian family. The author, who is both a clinical psychologist and a family member of the patient analyses her personal experience from a sociocultural perspective. Societal and family influences such as parenting behaviour that maintain the symptoms and protective factors such as the primary caregiving system are discussed. The paper highlights the importance of family dynamics in therapy and autoethnographies in research. Also, the mental health of professionals whose family members have a diagnosis of mental illness should be prioritized in future research and practice.

Author :
Shikha Soni : Clinical Psychologist, Doctoral Research Scholar in Psychology – Department of Liberal Arts at Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad.
 

DOI: https://doi.org/10.32381/JPR.2020.15.01.5