Racialized Women with Severe Mental Illness: An Arts-Based Approach to Locating Recovery in Intersections of Power, Self-Worth, and Identity

Abstract

This qualitative study employed an arts-based methodology to explore the intersection of gender and ethnicity with the recovery experiences of six racialized women with severe mental illness in a large and highly diverse Canadian urban centre. The study was designed to address a gap in the recovery literature, which has minimally accounted for gender and ethnicity, and much less the intersection of the two. The arts-based approach revealed experiences centered on the three main themes of power, self-worth, and determining a coherent identity, all of which were described as being negotiated in contexts of supportive relationships and community participation. Although these themes are evident in the recovery experiences of most people with severe mental illness, the intersections of gender, ethnicity and racialized identities comprise additional layers of complexity and negotiation.

Keywords:

• Arts
• gender
• recovery
• severe mental illness
• women

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This study was supported by a grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Appreciation is also extended to Across Boundaries and Workman Arts.