Kristjana Kristiansen Norwegian University of Science and Technology Trondheim, Norway &

1. ’ I have schizophrenia, but schizo-land does not have me ’research from Norway on everyday life and recovery…. with a focus on the meaning of work Kristjana Kristiansen Norwegian University of Science and Technology Trondheim, Norway & Marit Borg University College in Buskerud Drammen, Norway Copies of our journal article on this topic can be obtained by contacting Marit Borg at maritbor@online.no .

2. Outline of presentation ¤ research questions ¤ background context ¤ methodological considerations ¤ central findings ¤ why an ’everyday life perspective’?

3. Research questions (sequential studies) ¤ what is everyday life like ? ¤ what is helpful in gaining/regaining control & ’getting on with life’? (what we have learned and understand about ’recovery’) ¤ how can the paid helping system and professionals stop blocking recovery? ¤ the meaning of work?

4. background context  ’mental health reform’ in Norway…? central tenets: ¤ citizenship rights and societal participation ¤ de-institutionalization, de-centralisation, and ’de-throning’ ¤ people with long-term mental distress in Norway have long-standing patterns of unsatisfactory living conditions (housing, education, employment, poverty, social exclusion, etc)  much rhetoric of ’social reform’ , - yet continually surrounded with hegemonic ghosts and professional interests.

5. some of our methodological considerations ¤ collaborative research: co-researchers with lived experience. ¤ co-researchers all had labels of psychosis/schizophrenia, hospitalisation/medication… and considered themselves in the process of recovery. ¤ subjectivity and the psychiatric mind-set. ¤ in-depth, open interviews: steered by co-researchers & their priorities (”could you tell me a bit about your everyday life?) ¤ analysis and verification

6. Central findings/reflections • what we think we know about ’recovery’. • the importance of employment/work. • arguments for an everyday life research approach, subjective accounts combined with: -- living conditions surveys -- genuine citizenship rights. • triviality is not trivial.

7. how we understand ’recovery’ • not about cure nor necessarily about symptom eradication, but about getting on with one’s life. • ’hope’ is an essential ingredient in combatting chronicity-myths. • not about empowerment, but about gaining/taking control. • not about outcomes/results, but a dynamic (social) process. • not about standardised approaches, but about uniqueness. • regardless of one’s ætiological perspective regarding the nature and cause of ’madness’: -- personal distress may be devastating at times, but the social consequences are typically even more disabling and accumulative. --it is in each person’s own everyday life that these consequences need to be addressed.

8. Central findings in relation to the meaning of work: • BEING and BECOMING : having an active working role, developing and testing potential. • BELONGING :included in ordinary work settings. • BALANCING : managing work, rest and fun. • BELIEVING IN YOU :the role of hope… having sympathetic and flexible work environments and co-workers.

9. Why an ’everyday life perspective’? ¤ a ’person-not-patient’ perspective is more likely, including gaze-shift from pathology to daily life in society. ¤ whole life picture gives larger context for both analysis, interpretation, and finding resources/opportunities to build on. ¤ what is discovered will be different than if only asking about one area of life (work) or in a service setting. ¤ in Norway, this research approach is connected to civil rights: - acknowledging personhood and citizenship (not user/consultant) - living conditions surveys used to unveil patterns of inequality, linked to social policy and strategy. ¤ everyday life is elusive, and deceptively simple…..

10. triviality is not trivial ¤small things count, and are often significant personal turning points… ¤ the mundane is complex… ¤ the taken-for-granted is often un-named and thus invisible… ¤ common sense is perhaps not so common, and the obvious is unfortunately not always so obvious?