In the context of a New Brunswick research project involving peoplehaving had experiences with the psychiatric system, this articlehighlights some coping strategies used by one of the people interviewedafter she was diagnosed as mentally ill. A structural analysis helpedus to analyse and appreciate some of the variables in her determinedefforts to move away from the psychiatric system while, at themethodological level, this case study reveals and illustrates possibleemerging realities within the ex-psychiatric movement.