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Psychiatry"],"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title><jats:p>Despite extensive research on clinical treatments for depression, there remains a significant gap in understanding of the lived experiences and recovery journeys of those with depression. This study sought to explore the recovery process through an \u201canti-stigmatizing\u201d lens, emphasizing the cultural\u2013psychological mechanisms at play and the importance of personal narratives in shaping the recovery trajectory.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>Using a collaborative autoethnographic approach, this report focuses on the first author\u2019s journey of depression recovery. This research methodology allows for an in-depth exploration of subjective experiences, with a specific emphasis on the interaction between societal stigma, personal identity, and mental-health challenges.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>It is found that the depression-recovery experience can be divided into four stages from an anti-stigma perspective: (1) encountering the public stigma of emotions; (2) internalizing the stigma to a self-stigma; (3) \u201cdecriminalizing\u201d the expected stigma of a \u201cdepressed\u201d identity through diagnosis; and (4) being able to cope with and understanding the public stigma relating to depression when facing it again. Key factors that were found to contribute to recovery were self-awareness, community empowerment, and recognition and acceptance by close friends and family.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Discussion<\/jats:title><jats:p>We propose a reconceptualization of depression that incorporates a societal perspective on internalized stigma. Recovery from depression is not merely a medical process; it also pertains to how the patient frees themselves from public stigma. The results strongly indicate the need for a paradigm shift toward a more inclusive and empathetic approach to mental-health care, and we emphasize the importance of personal narratives in depression recovery.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyt.2024.1360967","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,4,16]],"date-time":"2024-04-16T11:35:13Z","timestamp":1713267313000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Anti-stigmatizing: a collaborative autoethnography on recovery from depression"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Danlei","family":"Zhu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Keyi","family":"Lyu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,4,16]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","volume-title":"Depression 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