Is There Somebody Looking out for Me? A Qualitative Analysis of Bullying Experiences of Individuals Diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder

Gülüm Özer (), İdil Işık and Jordi Escartín
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Gülüm Özer: Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London SE5 8AF, UK
İdil Işık: Department of Psychology, Faculty of Economics, Administrative and Social Sciences, Bahcesehir University, Istanbul 34353, Türkiye
Jordi Escartín: Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London SE5 8AF, UK

IJERPH, 2024, vol. 21, issue 2, 1-22

Abstract: According to the World Health Organisation, there are globally 40 million individuals with bipolar disorder (BD), and they experience stigma and discrimination, as many people with mental illness do. Work bullying (WB) is a common organisational problem, deteriorating the well-being and performance of employees and organisations. Although WB experiences have been researched for over three decades, we do not know much about the experiences of this group and what they need to extend their work-life. The current research aims to understand the workplace bullying experiences of individuals with BD and factors that may foster or hinder their participation in the labour force. The research methodology was based on in-depth interviews with 19 employees diagnosed with BD. Bullying experiences were mapped onto the Negative Acts Questionnaire. The data were analysed using the deductive qualitative content analysis on MAXQDA. Results showed that individuals with BD were exposed to bullying in work settings. Perceived reasons for the negative behaviours were mainly the undesirable individual characteristics of the bully, prejudices toward bipolar disorder, and already-existing toxic behaviours within the organisation. To reduce bullying, participants suggested that, among others, top management include equal and fair treatment of disadvantaged employees as performance criteria for supervisors and that organisations provide training against bullying, investigate complaints, apply sanctions, and establish an inclusive environment. If organisations set a stable and enduring vision, enhance a common identity for all employees, work on team building, and emphasise team efforts and goals, the organisational environment would be more inclusive, and individuals with BD would have longer work lives.

Keywords: bipolar disorder; workplace bullying; qualitative study; deductive content analysis; organisational psychology (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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