Occupational Self Analysis in People with a Serious Mental Illness.

The appearance of a mental disorder forces the person to modify their occupational choices and participation, due, among other aspects, to the continuous presence of symptoms and relapses. 'Occupational self-analysis' programs are based on increasing occupational awareness to promote changes in meaningful occupational participation. The objective of this study was to test the effectiveness of the 'Occupational self-analysis' program in people with Serious Mental Disorder specially on life satisfaction, participation in meaningful activities, perception of balance and occupational satisfaction, compared to the standard intervention received in a Therapeutic Community of Mental Health. The program was implemented for 4 months, twice a week, while the control group received the standard treatment. Ten people participated in the 'Occupational self-analysis' program. Results show that participants improved their perception of occupational balance and occupational satisfaction, as well as increasing their participation in meaningful activities.