MENTAL HEALTH COMMUNICATION AS ACTION, SYSTEM, RELATION

Abstract

Contemporary emphasis on language and communication in mental health research and practice establishes the need for a communication model that addresses the variety of contexts – institutional, social, and cultural – in which attribution of mental disorders, treatment, and recovery occur. A ‘triadic’ approach to communication considers sufferers’: (1) transactions with environmental circumstances; (2) interpretive engagement with symbolic/discursive resources; and (3) relational interactions with others. Foundations for the model derive from pragmatism, systems theory, and theories of dialogue. A brief case study of depressive illness illustrates the value of the model. Implications for the organization of professional expertise in mental health fields are discussed.

Citation

Woodward, W.D. (2003), "MENTAL HEALTH COMMUNICATION AS ACTION, SYSTEM, RELATION", Studies in Symbolic Interaction (Studies in Symbolic Interaction, Vol. 26), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 69-92. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0163-2396(02)26008-1