Objectives Policies promoting community integration of individuals with mental disabilities have increased the need for community advocacy. This study aimed to identify situations in which individuals with mental disabilities perceive the need for advocacy support and how to deal with them.Methods In this qualitative descriptive study, group interviews were conducted with 13 peer advocates and 12 individuals with mental disabilities. A verbatim transcript of the interviews was created. Categories were generated by raising the level of abstraction from the perspective of "Situations where individuals with mental disabilities require advocacy support and how to address them."Results Situations requiring advocacy support occurred in outpatient psychiatry settings, psychiatric hospitalizations, welfare facilities, schools, neighborhoods, and places of employment; among family and relatives; and at consultation services. In outpatient psychiatry, "difficulties in accessing medical care" were reported. In psychiatric hospitalizations, participants felt "pressured and unable to escape the environment." In welfare facilities, "romantic relationships between users were discouraged." Regarding familial difficulties, "limited understanding and acceptance of the disease," "relationship deterioration due to poor hospitalization conditions and forced hospitalization," and "marital difficulties due to mental illness" were prevalent. Participants in schools experienced "isolation due to their illness," and in the local community, there were "problems related to reasonable accommodation of individuals with disabilities in neighborhood association activities." Employed participants faced "inadequate consideration despite disclosing their illness to co-workers." At counseling institutions, participants felt "forced to endure without resolution when consulting." Individuals with disabilities coped with these situations by "transferring to a different clinic" or "changing facilities," but in the case of psychiatric hospitalization, they gave up and "did not go against the staff."Conclusion Individuals with mental disabilities need advocacy support for psychiatric care and diverse situations such as family, school, and community engagement. Efforts should be made to introduce an advocacy system in psychiatric hospitals and to disseminate accurate information about mental illness to high-risk age groups. Moreover, it is necessary to disseminate knowledge of reasonable accommodation and appropriate responses to individuals with mental illness. Peer advocates should educate individuals with disabilities about their rights and encourage proactive measures.
Keywords: advocacy; mental disabilities; peer advocate; peer support; qualitative research.