Project leader: Anna Légmán

OTKA PD 112079, 2014-2016

The aim of this research is to explore the participation of persons with psychosocial disabilities in society. I represent how they identify themselves, how they can live as members of society as well as how the society, their close community consider them, what possibilities are offered for them to live together in society. Appearance and participation in society can be explored according to several aspects, but survey about persons living with psychiatric diagnosis has been never made in Hungary in this issue. In my research I approach this problem via the relation of the individual and the community; namely I focus on the places and the institutions which are assigned for persons living with psychiatric diagnosis by the society.

Research questions:

1. How do persons with psychosocial disabilities define and place themselves in society? What obstacles and possibilities do they see? How do they live in a community?

2. How is the milieu related to them? How can one (co)exist with them?

3. How do persons diagnosed with psychiatric diseases appear in society, in public? How is their social involvement influenced by their social attendance?

4. What place, service are provided for them in society? How do or can they live in a local community? How has psychiatric care system changed regarding participation in society?

1 Although the term „ person with psichosocial disability” is not used in Hungary I apply it as a synonym for mad person, and person with psichyatryc diagnosis because it can facilitate the examination of a lot of social issues.

5. What effects do institutional operations and the diagnoses given there have on those persons’ life stories who got into psychiatric care system?

6. What effects do institutional operations at psychiatric care system have on its workers’ lives, life stories, or their representation of patients?