Biographical disruption, redefinition, and recovery: Illness identities of women with depression and diabetes

Abstract

The rich conceptual literature on illness experiences has been based largely on singular diseases/conditions. However, over the last few decades, more complex disease patterns and increased longevity have complicated our understanding of how people experience illness. This study builds upon existing theoretical constructs (e.g. biographical disruption) to more robustly capture the illness experiences of those living with multi-morbid conditions. In-depth interviews, examining the post-diagnostic experiences of women living simultaneously with common somatic (diabetes) and psychiatric (clinical depression) conditions, revealed participants’ evolving socially embedded illness identity, as they engaged in (re-)constructing new biographies. Socially contextualized situations shaped and were shaped by their illness identity as they managed social relationships, medication use, and choice of providers. Although diagnosed for years, many continued to have lives in upheaval. While most experienced crumbling self-images and described disrupted biographies, others experienced different trajectories with corresponding illness identities. A new typology emerged, extending Bury’s concept of disrupted biographies to encompass redefined, and recovered, biographies, within and across the comorbid conditions.