Unga Vuxna med psykisk sjukdom : Att våga prata om sin sjukdom

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the quality of the social network in regard to young adults, with psychological disorders, and their possibilities to be open about their disease. In addition the study aimed at identifying possible causes to perceived difficulties by young adults to talk about their disease. Method: The survey was a quantitative study with descriptive design. The data was collected using a study-specific questionnaire on a clinic for young adults with psychological disorders, between 18 and 25 years of age. Out of 123 potential participants 79 (64 %) answered the questionnaire, of which two were excluded because they did not see themselves as suffering from mental illness. Results: The results showed that the participants of the study stated that they had a social network and the majority (90%, n=69) considered they had someone to talk to about their disease, but most of them wanted to be more open about their illness. However, the majority had some form of difficulty to talk about their disease with their social network. The most common specified causes were to feel ashamed of their disease and that the mentally ill persons did not think they would be properly understood. Almost the half of the participant experienced that they had some form of difficulty to be open about their mental disorder in front of health professionals and the most common specified causes was that the participant did not thought that they would be properly understood or that they did not felt confidence before the health professionals. Conclusion: Young adults with psychological disease have difficulty to be open about their disease, partly because of stigma. An increased knowledge and awareness in society about how common mental disorder is could help these individuals to be open about their mental disorder, both on a personal level and as a group. To be open-minded is according to the authors a part of the process to decrease stigmatizing attitudes towards individuals with mental disorders.