07.10.2024Anke Maatz and Yvonne Ilg in UZH News: Conversations on Mental Health

A collaborative research project led by L&M coordinators, linguist Yvonne Ilg and psychiatrist Anke Maatz, investigates how people communicate about mental health issues in everyday settings. The study examines challenges faced by individuals discussing conditions like schizophrenia and depression, exploring conversational techniques that can facilitate these difficult dialogues.

Through interviews with patients, family members, and employers, Ilg and Maatz aim to identify existing communicative strategies, such as pauses, metaphors, and humour, that make it easier to discuss mental health. Their findings will be used to develop an online toolkit offering non-prescriptive guidance to encourage open conversations.

As a unique aspect, the project includes “experts by experience” like Henrike Wiemer, a German teacher with lived experience of schizophrenia. This participatory approach enriches the research and promotes social inclusion, addressing both the linguistic and psychological aspects of mental health conversations.

For more information, please see the original UZH News article.