A qualitative study of hermeneutic analysis in individuals with schizophrenia, psychiatrists and psychiatric nurses writings on selected narratives.

ABSTRACT

WHAT IS KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT? In daily psychiatric practice, understanding individuals often involves formulating the clinical case, which may lead to viewing them solely as symptoms to be solved. Consequently, it can be challenging to see the individual beyond their symptoms. However, trying to understand the individual by his/her writings about narratives can offer broader perspectives and extend beyond being a medium for patients to express their experiences. On understanding writing, hermeneutics will be a resourceful method. WHAT THE PAPER ADDS TO EXISTING KNOWLEDGE? This study aims to propose a reevaluation of the nature of therapeutic communication among individuals with schizophrenia, psychiatrists, and psychiatric nurses by interpreting their writings on the same written narratives through a hermeneutic analysis. Our study has unique features compared to previous studies on communication between mental health professionals and patients. We directly investigated the act of understanding through the writings of the three groups of participants. The participants were also engaged in reading and writing about the narratives instead of relying on clinical interviews or self-report questionnaires. To the best of our knowledge, our study is the first hermeneutic study to examine the nature of reflection while all three groups encounter the same narratives as readers. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE? The results point to the need for psychiatrists/psychiatric nurses to develop new perspectives and skills in understanding/interacting with individuals with schizophrenia. Our study could be a pioneer sample in applying hermeneutics as a prevailing method to mental health nursing practice. ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION: Understanding individuals with schizophrenia is an essential but challenging phenomenon in psychiatry. AIM/QUESTION This study proposes a reevaluation of the nature of therapeutic communication among individuals with schizophrenia, psychiatrists and psychiatric nurses by interpreting their writings on the same written narratives through a hermeneutic analysis. METHOD: In this study, employing a qualitative descriptive methodology utilising hermeneutic analysis, participants read the five narratives, wrote down their opinions on each narratives and answered nine questions to express their own personal writing experiences. RESULTS: Participants from each group acted as both 'readers' and 'authors' while rewriting the selected five short narratives based on their own sense of readings. The expression, rewriting refers to the act of reading and written interpretations of participants and researchers in this study. While individuals with schizophrenia primarily focused on the text (narrative) in their readings and writings, psychiatrists and psychiatric nurses tended to focus on reader (themselves) in their interpretations. DISCUSSION: Although reading should be approached as a process of discovery rather than merely seeking predetermined knowledge, psychiatrists and psychiatric nurses read the narratives as if the author were a patient or as the signs of an illness. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE The results point to the need for psychiatrists/psychiatric nurses to develop new perspectives and skills in understanding and interacting with individuals with schizophrenia.