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Grieving Mental Illness: Individual Experiences Of Grief, Loss, And Growth, Alissa Kaasa

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

The purpose of this study was to explore the grief experience of people who develop severe and persistent mental illnesses (SPMI). Group members and facilitators of a Grieving Mental Illness group that met at a suburban drop-in center were asked to voluntarily participant in semi-structured, qualitative, in-person interviews. Content analysis was used to find themes in the group member and facilitator interviews. The findings indicated that individuals with SPMI have a unique grief experience that is enhanced by many factors. Group participants expressed having cycling feelings of grief. These feeling were triggered by life events or reminders of the loss …