The role of the ‘ambiguous home’ in service users’ management of their mental health

Abstract

Research on mental health geographies and housing has focused on pattern and distribution, rather than social and cultural constructions of home. Here we attempt to understand meanings and roles of home for individuals with mental illness in the UK within the context of a deep-seated housing crisis. The discussion is sharpened by the notion of the ambiguous home, ranging from a place for retreat, separation or even isolation from the world, with experiences of recovery, stability or wellness, to home as something more negative, in which distress or illness flourished, and in which people became entrapped or from which they sought relief. Three themes crosscut this range of experiences: home as material object; home as relational; and home as rhythm.