My Voice Was Discounted the Whole Way Through”

A Gendered Analysis of Women’s Experiences of Involuntary Mental Health Treatment

Datos Bibliográficos

ID12142201
AutoresEmma Tseris (0000-0001-5704-4598, The University of Sydney, autor de correspondencia), Eva Bright Hart (The University of Sydney), Scarlett Franks (The University of Sydney)
Año2022
Volumen37
Número4
Páginas645-663
Fecha de publicación2022-07-19
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaAffilia (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0886-1099 • E-ISSN: 1552-3020
EditorialSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/08861099221108714
OpenAlexW4286213444
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas7
Referencias citadas35

Although it is well established that women experience significant gendered oppressions when accessing mental health services, research exploring the impacts of involuntary mental health services is frequently conducted without attending specifically to gender. This article reports on a qualitative study that explored women's experiences of compulsory mental health treatment in Australia. In-depth interviews revealed substantial gendered harms experienced by women within involuntary mental health treatment settings. Themes identified were: involuntary treatment replicates the dynamics and tactics of gendered violence; treatment involves profound deprivation and losses, with potential implications across the lifecourse; mental health services disrupt and undermine mothering; and recovery is found outside of coercive mental health systems. The study reveals the heightened harms experienced by women within involuntary mental health contexts, as well as women's strategic resistances to psychiatric oppression. It demonstrates the relevance of a conceptual lens that is attuned to gender, in order to develop a deeper understanding of women's experiences of intersecting oppressions within involuntary mental health settings. Implications include the need for alliance-building across feminist and critical mental health movements, and the need for a much more robust engagement by the social work profession in challenging the widespread acceptance of involuntary mental health treatment

Mental health · Mental health law · Oppression · Political science · Politics · Psychiatry · Qualitative research · Sociology · Child Abuse and Trauma · Homelessness and Social Issues · Psychology · Social Work Education and Practice