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ABSTRACT
Hope is a pivotal part of recovery in a broad range of health conditions, including those relating to the field of mental health and substance abuse. People who experience co-occurring mental health and substance-use problems are often bound to use services that are not suited to their needs. In this study, our aim is to explore how service users experience barriers to help and assistance, and to determine the manner by which these barriers may influence their experiences of hope. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with nine participants, and these were analyzed using a thematic approach. This analysis produced the following three overarching themes: “battles with bureaucracy”; “distance, disempowerment, and de-individualization”; and “no clean slates.”
Acknowledgments
This article is a product stemming from the research project “Equal Footing: Collaborative Practices in Mental Health Care and Substance Use Services as Multifaceted Partnerships,” for which Professor Marit Borg was the project director and Dr. Ottar Ness the principal researcher. This project was funded by the Research Council of Norway for 2012 to 2015. The authors acknowledge the support and assistance provided by various staff members of the participating municipality, and from service user and family member organizations from the mental health and substance abuse field in carrying out this research project.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Notes
1 The Norwegian Labor and Welfare Administration (NAV) was established in 2006; it merged separate labor and welfare services. NAV distributes a third of the national budget through sickness benefits, child benefits, cash-for-care benefits, unemployment benefits, and work assessment allowances.