Now You See It; Now You Don’t: The Experience of chronic illness in Six Italian Women Living With Autoimmune Disease
Resource type
Conference paper (unpublished)
Creator (person)
Bacchini, Simone
Date published
September 2011
Abstract
For those affected, chronic illness is a frightening, often isolating experience. Part of its power lies in its
invisibility: to the onlooker, the chronically ill often appears “normal”. In addition, with the passing of time
the absence of an immediate threat to life can lead the observer – medical professional or otherwise – to
misjudge the true impact of the condition on the sufferer.
This paper draws on an original corpus of interviews with six Italian women living with Rheumatoid
Arthritis and Lupus. It is qualitative in nature and is informed by insights gained from Discourse Analysis,
Narrative Analysis, and functional approaches to language.
It will show how patients construe and present their experience of chronic illness, whilst shaping a new
sense of self. In particular, the paper will highlight the often neglected impact of aggressive
pharmacological therapies on sufferers. It will become apparent that for the patient undergoing such
therapies, it is often the treatment, rather than the disease, which is construed as having the worst
impact on quality of life. As my informants clearly indicate, a better appreciation of this fact by the
medical profession would not only be appreciated, but also enhance quality of life, as well as the quality
of medical encounters.
Event title
BSA Medical Sociology Group 43rd Annual Conference
Rights statement
In Copyright