ABSTRACT
This chapter thematically analyzes part of the data set from the 49 in-depth interviews that were conducted using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). It sets out how this first data set was extracted for this analysis with a view to conducting a further layer of analysis using more discursive approaches. The chapter describes the procedures for using IPA alongside presentation of the data according to the themes that emerged from the analysis. It was not to investigate the relationship between coming out and mental health but, rather, to focus on mental health care experiences. Several participants did not disclose their sexual identity to mental health care practitioners, even though they felt that some of their mental health problems were related to their anxieties about coming to terms with it. A number of participants who disclosed their sexual identity in mental health care settings recounted experiences of having their sexuality pathologized.
