TY - JOUR

T1 - “My life disappeared in illness”

T2 - bipolar disorder and themes in narrative identity

AU - Pedersen, Anne Mai

AU - Straarup, Krista Nielsen

AU - Thomsen, Dorthe Kirkegaard

N1 - Funding Information: This work was supported by Danmarks Grundforskningsfond [grant number DNRF89]; Velux Fonden [grant number VELUX33266]. A special thanks to the participants who shared their life stories for this study. Thanks to Anne Cecilie Juul Johansen for her help with coding the life story chapters. The study was supported by a grant to the third author (VELUX33266). The first and third authors are affiliated with CON AMORE, which was funded by the Danish National Research Foundation (DNRF) Grant DNRF89. Funding Information: A special thanks to the participants who shared their life stories for this study. Thanks to Anne Cecilie Juul Johansen for her help with coding the life story chapters. The study was supported by a grant to the third author (VELUX33266). The first and third authors are affiliated with CON AMORE, which was funded by the Danish National Research Foundation (DNRF) Grant DNRF89. Publisher Copyright: © 2022 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

PY - 2022

Y1 - 2022

N2 - Bipolar Disorder (BD) has substantial consequences for the course of life and the formation of self and identity. In the present study, we extended the existing literature by examining narrative identity. Fifteen female outpatients with remitted BD and fifteen non-clinical control participants described past and future chapters in their life stories. The chapters were coded for agency, communion, redemption and contamination. Patients diagnosed with BD described their past chapters with lower agency, lower communion and more contamination compared to the control group. Contrary to our expectations, the future chapters described by the BD patients did not differ significantly from the control group. A focus on narrative identity may contribute to understanding the disorder and inspire interventions targeting personal recovery.

AB - Bipolar Disorder (BD) has substantial consequences for the course of life and the formation of self and identity. In the present study, we extended the existing literature by examining narrative identity. Fifteen female outpatients with remitted BD and fifteen non-clinical control participants described past and future chapters in their life stories. The chapters were coded for agency, communion, redemption and contamination. Patients diagnosed with BD described their past chapters with lower agency, lower communion and more contamination compared to the control group. Contrary to our expectations, the future chapters described by the BD patients did not differ significantly from the control group. A focus on narrative identity may contribute to understanding the disorder and inspire interventions targeting personal recovery.

KW - Bipolar disorder

KW - life story

KW - narrative identity

KW - themes

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85126668251&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1080/09658211.2022.2051555

DO - 10.1080/09658211.2022.2051555

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 35297312

AN - SCOPUS:85126668251

VL - 30

SP - 857

EP - 868

JO - Memory

JF - Memory

SN - 0965-8211

IS - 7

ER -