Forensic Psychiatric Patients' Narratives of Their Offense

Abstract

This study aims to describe forensic psychiatric patients’ experiences of their offense and its meaning for their lives, and to increase the understanding of the meaning of the offense in the eyes of the patient. The data analyzed was collected by interviews with forensic psychiatric patients and analyzed by narrative analysis. The findings suggest that forensic psychiatric patients have different types of stories describing the offense and its meaning in their lives. Illness narratives can be utilized therapeutically because they may construct patients’ identity, experiences, and their situation as people with an illness seek explanations and meanings for their plight.