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“I Got to Voice What’s in My Heart”: Participation in the Cultural Formulation Interview—Perspectives of Consumers with Psychotic Disorders

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Abstract

Consumers with serious mental illness (SMI) frequently disengage from treatment; tools to enhance rapport and therapeutic alliance with these consumers are needed. The Cultural Formulation Interview (CFI), published in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), assesses social and cultural context as it relates to mental health and has potential as a rapport-building tool. The present study aimed to examine the perspectives of consumers with psychotic spectrum disorders on participating in the CFI. Consumers (N = 14) with psychotic disorders were recruited from mental health programs at an urban Veterans Affairs Medical Center. They participated in the CFI followed by a debriefing interview, during which they were queried about their experiences with the CFI. Debriefing interviews were audio recorded and transcribed. Thematic analysis was used to collate the data and identify themes. Participants reported that the CFI was validating, therapeutic, and led to deeper realizations about themselves and their recovery. The CFI may be used to simultaneously enhance rapport and obtain meaningful health narrative data with consumers with psychotic disorders. The CFI may be a valuable tool to promote treatment engagement among individuals with SMI.

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Acknowledgement

This work was supported by the Veterans Affairs Capitol Healthcare Network (VISN 5), Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC) Pilot Study Program. This research was also supported by the VISN 5 MIRECC and the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Academic Affiliations Advanced Fellowship Program in Mental Illness Research and Treatment. The authors would like to gratefully acknowledge the efforts of Roberto Lewis-Fernandez, M.D., and Neil K. Aggarwal, M.D. in providing training and consultation on the Cultural Formulation Interview in support of this project. The contents do not represent the views of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or the United States Government.

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Author notes

  1. Danielle R. Jahn

    Present address: Primary Care Institute, Gainesville, FL, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Veterans Affairs Capitol Healthcare Network (VISN 5), Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC), 10 N Greene Street, Attn: VISN 5 MIRECC (Annex Bldg.), Baltimore, MD, USA

    Anjana Muralidharan, Rebecca M. Schaffner, Samantha Hack, Danielle R. Jahn & Amanda D. Peeples

  2. Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Anjana Muralidharan, Samantha Hack, Danielle R. Jahn & Alicia Lucksted

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  1. Anjana Muralidharan
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Correspondence to Anjana Muralidharan.

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Muralidharan, A., Schaffner, R.M., Hack, S. et al. “I Got to Voice What’s in My Heart”: Participation in the Cultural Formulation Interview—Perspectives of Consumers with Psychotic Disorders. J. Psychosoc. Rehabil. Ment. Health 4, 35–43 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40737-017-0076-y

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