Ångest som en merit - Att använda personliga erfarenheter av psykisk ohälsa i vårdarbete

Sammanfattning: The purpose of this study was to explore how staff in mental health care experience (1) using personal experiences of mental ill health in their work (2) different factors affecting this usage. This was explored using semi-structured interviews, which were analyzed using thematic analysis based on aletic hermeneutics. Eleven staff members in various professions were included. The analysis resulted in eight main themes and a number of subthemes. The main themes were: A deeper understanding, A good approach, The importance of knowing oneself, Self-disclosure to help the patient/service-user, Choosing not to disclose, Roles and role conflicts, Bringing up the patient’s perspective and Mental ill health as a resource. The results indicated that personal experiences of mental ill health can be an asset in mental health care, for example by contributing to greater understanding and empathy, a better approach and a decreased power imbalance in the patient-provider relationship. Self-awareness was cited as crucial to constructive use of such personal experiences. The work environment was described as having a clear impact on how staff utilize personal experiences of mental ill health and many use their experiences less than they would prefer because of negative attitudes among colleagues and fear of being doubted.