DISCUSIÓN DE RESULTADO Nº 05: DE LOS EXPEDIENTES

All participants spoke a great deal about relationships. They also talked about the roles that they played within these relationships: mother, father, son and daughter. Another role mentioned by one participant was that of being a mediator and advocate. Common to all but one person was the fact that they had, or have had at least one family member with a mental illness. These included three spouses, one mother and a step-daughter. Sub themes included: ‘family’; ‘friends and acquaintances’, including other residents at the home; and ‘caregivers and health professionals’. All five participants spoke about their family members repeatedly throughout their narratives. As mentioned previously, Gordon’s wife died by suicide. He suggested that his actions may have contributed to her taking her life:

My wife was a manic depressive…I think she’d been in hospital about 17 times…at one stage we were both in there together…she attempted suicide

about three or four times. She committed suicide, hung herself in the garage

She’d been in hospital and I had a one-night stand with a sheila from a massage parlour and she might have found out about that

Gordon often mentioned his sister, and the support she gave him when he was younger:

I had my 17th _{birthday there (in hospital) and my sister sent me over a cake}

My sister paid my fees

I was going to head for the back road for my sister’s farm. I was going to stay there for a while

However, he also talked about having little recent contact with his immediate family:

I haven’t seen my son for about 13 years, it might be more…I haven’t seen

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My brother’s supposed to come over and see me but…I haven’t seen him for quite a while. My sister and brother-in-law haven’t been over for a while

Priscilla talked about the contact with and the support she has had from family members:

I was never so glad to see Mum…Dad had to take me for psychiatric shock treatment

I spent two days there (hospital)…my mother-in-law got me out I had to go to my son’s wedding

Since Mum died we’ve got closer, me and my sister. Since we went to Australia we’ve become big buddies

In contrast, she talked about the times when her family did not help or support her:

My brother-in-law wouldn’t let his wife help…he wouldn’t let anybody else help me either

Priscilla mentioned the difficulties she experienced when her husband became unwell:

(My husband) getting ill made me very ill too.

Priscilla said that she failed in her role as a mother as she was often unable to care for her children:

I had to put them into Karitane. I had them at home for two weeks but couldn’t cope

I kept giving them up to family because I couldn’t cope

Afterwards I felt very bad, like a failure because I couldn’t look after my own

kids. Imagine what it was like for a mum to give up her kids I knew that I’d have to give up my kids and that was hard

Monica spoke about her mother a great deal. She suggested that her mother was very strict and that she too had some mental health problems:

Quite strict on me…she was pretty strict on me

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My mum…she used to tell me that my dad was well-known…she mentioned

Elvis Presley…yeah, my dad’s Elvis

She said that since her mother’s death she has not had a great deal of contact with

her whānau:

They’re too busy with their lives, they come now and then

Jo mentioned occasional visits from a few members of her whānau. She made no mention of ever having had contact with her parents:

I come from a big family, a broken home…I think they weren’t looking after

us properly. I had two foster mothers in my life

My sister used to come…not very often but she’d come My foster brother would come for a while…and my aunty I don’t know where they all live now

Family featured prominently in Steven’s story, in particular his different partners. She was one of my partners, but she went back to her husband so I couldn’t

get married

The first wife I married was unsuitable so I divorced her and married Mary

The only family Steven talked about in the present day was his wife and her family: My stepdaughter, she’s had a breakdown too, and now she’s got married

Mary’s mother really likes me- I get on well with her mother Mary’s family didn’t want me living with her

While there were numerous comments about family members, there were few made in regards to friends and acquaintances. Jo talked about a ‘fun day’ held recently at the home:

And my friend, we did it together

Another was made by Steven when speaking about his current living situation: I enjoy living here, I like the people here

Priscilla spoke about advocating for other clients while in hospital:

There was me being mediator for the residents, and the staff thanked me for it, being an advocate. I try to be the advocate here

81 However, she complained about a fellow resident at the home:

He’s always telling me what to do, say and think Gordon too spoke about another resident:

He won’t open the bloody shed for me half the time

Finally, Steven qualified his previously recorded positive comment:

Sometimes they get me rarked up

The final sub-theme of the relationship theme was ‘caregivers and health professionals’. Three of the participants mentioned this group of people several times. For example, Gordon talked about the community mental health nurse involved with his care some years ago:

She walks in and she says “the police are out there, you’re going back to

hospital”. I rang her…and I said “you’ve put me in a hell of a spot being over here”

Steven spoke about health professionals he met while in hospital:

They were both staff members…they were important as they gave me direction and helped me. They were good men

The social worker there…I used to do her gardens and lawns

He talked about a time when mental health professionals prevented him from living with his wife:

The hospital… didn’t want me living with her so they put me in another home

Priscilla talked about the support she had from the manager of the home when she recently planned a trip to Australia:

She said that if I didn’t make up my mind and go she was personally going to put me on the plane. And I went all the way there and came back with a bottle of wine for her. She thought I was Christmas for that