Hur diagnosen bipolär sjukdom kan påverka personers identitetsuppfattning - en kvalitativ analys av självbiografier

Sammanfattning: The aim of the study is to show how the diagnosis bipolar disorder can affect people’s way of looking at themselves and their identity, but also to show how the diagnosis affects the way these people get treated by others. The study was done by analysing five autobiographies written by people who’s been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. This was made with a qualitative content analysis. The study shows that the diagnosis provides people with a way to understand their own emotions and behaviour. The way people view the diagnosis is not always positive though. The stigma surrounding the diagnosis causes them to be viewed as a stereotype and not as an independent person. An important part in understanding how people with bipolar disorder build their identities is their own image of how they expect to be viewed by society, as well as how they get treated by others. The theoretical framework consists of George Herbert Meads theory about “I” and “Me” and Erving Goffmans theory about stigmas.