Group Therapy for Adults with Severe Mental Illness by Semmelhack Diana;Ende Larry;Hazell Clive;

Author:Semmelhack, Diana;Ende, Larry;Hazell, Clive;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Group

Participants

Group members had diagnoses of severe mental illness, including schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, major depression, and bipolar disorder. All had experienced childhood trauma, including sexual, emotional, or physical abuse, or neglect. And about 80 percent of these residents had made at least one suicide attempt.

The membership ranged in age from 42 to 90. Around 85 percent of the residents had at least an average IQ score. Around 50 percent had limited family support, with an average of one visit per month. Most of the group was Caucasian. The group was 70 percent female and 30 percent male. Typically, members participated in facility activities such as bingo, card games, and groups that focused on learning basic hygiene skills.

While members were extremely diverse, a brief profile of a few members will suggest some of the patterns of members’ lives.

Terry was a 63-year-old man who came to the TBA group because he was interested in addressing addiction issues. Terry was a writer who, despite suffering from severe depression, continued to work on a number of writing projects. He received a scholarship to a major university to study engineering at the age of 19. In his final year of college, however, he had a breakdown and had to drop out. Since that time, Terry has struggled with trauma and mental illness. At times, he has prospered living in the community. He has also spent many years in nursing homes and long-term care centers.

Terry's psychosocial troubles began at an early age. Quiet and studious, he was a non-conformist who was interested in thinking about intellectual topics at a young age. In one class during sixth grade, he wrote a poem about his feelings. The poem focused on depression. Terry's mother was ill at the time, and he felt like he had few people to speak with about his situation. The instructor asked if he could read the poem aloud to the class. Terry was afraid to say no, “So I let him read it to the class.” Terry continued:

Since the poem contained very personal material, I suddenly felt extremely vulnerable. The poem's style was a bit like e.e. cummings’. I was expecting compliments, but instead the teacher announced to the class that the poem sounded “crazy.” The instructor's remark reverberated throughout the classroom of pre-adolescent students. Many of them interpreted what the teacher said as a diagnosis. I was already considered “eccentric,” but this label was far more destructive. From then on I felt like a branded man. People saw me as an outcast. This experience makes me very angry because I simply got no help. Because of the isolation during my adolescent years, when I should have developed a positive identity, I started to see myself as being “crazy.” I internalized the derogatory label. I believe this traumatizing experience led to my breakdown in college.

In his late 20s, Terry got a job doing social work with the elderly. He was passionate about his work. He also found a girlfriend, to whom he was extremely devoted. When Terry was in his 40s, however, his parents died in a car accident.

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