“Maybe No One Is Really Crazy, but Everyone Is Just a Little Bit Mad”: Framing Experiences of Living with Madness in the TED Talk
Publication: Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health
29 October 2021
Abstract
This article explores the victimizing experiences of individuals with mental illness using grounded inductive qualitative research methods, by extracting themes from 15 first-hand accounts of living with mental illness delivered on the TED Talks media platform. Emergent themes included (1) victimizing effects of the illness including the effects of medication and the effects of stigma, (2) normalcy, (3) the importance of help-seeking in the process of overcoming obstacles presented by mental health issues, and (4) victimization by others. We conclude that the speakers in our sample, even though they reflect an extraordinary level of functioning, still view themselves as what Becker (1991 [1963]) describes as outsiders, acting as moral entrepreneurs, crusading to normalize madness through a variety of strategies.
Résumé
Le présent article explore les expériences de victimisation des personnes atteintes de maladie mentale au moyen de méthodes inductives de recherche qualitative établies qui permettent de dégager des thèmes porteurs de 15 récits de première main relatant ce que c’est que de vivre avec une maladie mentale. Lesdits témoignages ont été diffusés sur la plateforme médiatique TED Talks. Au nombre des thèmes émergents figuraient: (1) les effets victimisants de la maladie, y compris les effets associés à la médication et ceux de la stigmatisation; (2) la normalité; (3) l’importance de chercher de l’aide pour surmonter les obstacles que posent les problèmes de santé mentale; (4) la victimisation par les autres. Notre conclusion est que les locuteurs de notre échantillon, lesquels affichent un niveau de fonctionnement singulièrement remarquable, se perçoivent malgré tout toujours comme ce que Becker (1991 [1963]) considère être des marginaux, en agissant comme des entrepreneurs de morale et en poursuivant une croisade dans le but de normaliser la folie par une variété de stratégies.
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Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health
Volume 40 • Number 2 • July 2021
Pages: 71 - 88
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Version of record online: 29 October 2021
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Victoria Morris and Hannah S. Scott. 2021. “Maybe No One Is Really Crazy, but Everyone Is Just a Little Bit Mad”: Framing Experiences of Living with Madness in the TED Talk. Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health.
40(2): 71-88. https://doi.org/10.7870/cjcmh-2021-012
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