I used to think autoethnographies were stupid and egotistical. Basically, it’s a scientific paper where you are the subject. Ego, right?But I’ve read some really interesting authnographies lately- including one about a black superintendent of a school district. His diary was his data. I’ve decided to write an AE about my time in the hospital. There is a LOT to write about in the AE- self injury, erotomania, etc.But I’ve settled on writing about the addicts/mood disorder patients vs. the psychotic patients groups that developed. Me, David, and Rhythm (and a few other women with schizoaffective) hung out, and the mood disorder people hung out. There was very little cross-over. People paired off- I paired off with David, we did everything together, and Liz paired off with Bill.They walked the halls hours every day together,. What I want to write about is the gangs that developed. The addicts and MD people stigmatized and harassed the psychotics. They made us feel like we were stupid. They teased us. We never did anything to them. I don’t think this exact situation has been written about in the literature before, so I think I have something unique. Can’t wait to start writing!
