Exploring Community-Based Service Experiences for People with Schizophrenia: Focusing on the Experience of an Integrated Case Manager for Chronic Mental Disorders

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to obtain a priori data for expanding community- based services for people with chronic mental disorders such as schizophrenia. For this purpose, in-depth interviews were conducted with 12 people working as integrated case managers in the region. For data collection and analysis, the grounded theory of Strauss & Corbin (1998) was applied. Our analysis derived 113 concepts, 42 subcategories, and 16 categories. The central phenomenon turned out to be <The difficulty of intervention in crisis of mentally disabled people>. The causal conditions were <existing work: there are no more wells or bucket to pump>, <extra work: encounter with a mentally disabled person who cannot do anything>. The contextual conditions were <mentally disabled people separated by partitions>, <mentally disabled outside the social safety net>, <lack of expertise in interventions for mentally disabled people>. The action/interaction strategies included <linking community organizations and resources>, <forming a cooperative relationship of mutual trust>, <using informal support systems>, <improving job performance expertise>. The mediating conditions were <support for stable job performance in the organization>, <strengthening the public-private partnership system>, <strengthening the informal support system>, <strengthening the local community’s residential infrastructure>. The results were <expert: confidence recovery>, <mentally disabled: stable life recovery>. The core category of case management experience for people with schizophrenia was decided to “grow as a public case management expert through the use of community networks in the midst of difficulties intervening in a crisis for the mentally disabled.” Based on the analysis results, a measures to community-based service for people with chronic mental disorders such as schizophrenia was proposed.