Abstract

This paper explores the role of friendship in the lives of people with psychiatric disabilities through the use of narrative. We suggest that the use of phenomenologically based investigation in experimental or other traditional research designs provides a more in-depth and complex view of the lives of people with serious mental illness. We offer the example of the Partnership Project, which provides people with psychiatric disabilities a consumer or non-consumer "partner" with whom to enjoy community activities and spend a weekly stipend. Through the lens of narrative, we examine the ways that friendship differs between people matched with either a consumer or non-consumer partner and delve into the importance of connection and friendship in the lives of people with psychiatric disabilities