Metaphors of schizophrenia. Study on the discourse of sufferers and professionals

In this paper we carry out a study of the conceptual metaphors used by people diagnosed with schizophrenia and by mental health professionals when talking about such a disorder. This research has enabled us to identify and compare consistent subgroups of patients and professionals in our corpus and to construe their underlying models of conceptualization of the illness. The corpus consists of three documentaries collecting first-person accounts. Metaphorical expressions have been collected and classified both quantitatively and qualitatively thus allowing to infer the participants' ideas and beliefs. The theoretical framework adopted is that of Conceptual Metaphor Theory, which is widely established in Cognitive Linguistics. The findings show main patterns of conceptualization of schizophrenia by people affected and participating in a social rehabilitation program, by people affected and not participating in such programs, by psychiatrists, and by other professionals related to mental health. Similarities and differences between these groups are shown.