“My mother is schizophrenic.” A collaborative autoethnography of a daughter experiencing a mother with schizophrenia

Objectives: First, this study aimed to empathize with and understand family members other than patients with schizophrenia and mental disabilities. Second, this study aimed to help those who work in mental health professions by emphasizing the importance of an empathetic and supportive attitude. Finally, this study confirms the importance of healing relationships between family members, further promoting a social understanding of schizophrenia. Methods: A collaborative autoethnography research method was used. The researcher's memory data, professor interviews, website articles, family interviews, the mother's diary, and the researcher’s diary were collected, analyzed, and classified. Results: Results of qualitative data analysis found the top three categories identified were “mother's schizophrenia begins”, “standing at the edge of a cliff”, and “mother and I facing a field”, along with seven sub-categories. Conclusions: Emotional and psychological pain were explored by describing the personal experiences of a researcher with a mother with the mental disorder schizophrenia from the perspective of an insider. Beyond personal problems, it was resolved reflectively while looking at the of whole of society through a lens of socio-cultural vulnerability and problem consciousness. The study discusses the implications in terms of the process and socio-cultural meaning.