Exploring the Experiences of People With Hypo- and Hyperthyroidism

Thyroid diseases evoke a complex range of psychological and physical symptoms. The psychosocial aspects of living with diseases causing hypo- or hyperthyroidism are poorly understood. In this article, we report the findings of a qualitative interview study in which we explored the lived experiences...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Qualitative health research 2015-07, Vol.25 (7), p.945-953
Main Authors: Nexø, Mette A., Watt, Torquil, Cleal, Bryan, Hegedüs, Laszlo, Bonnema, Steen J., Rasmussen, Åse K., Feldt-Rasmussen, Ulla, Bjorner, Jakob B.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Chronic Disease
Denmark
Disease management
Endocrinology
Female
Graves Disease - psychology
Health Status
Health technology assessment
Humans
Hyperthyroidism
Hypothyroidism
Hypothyroidism - psychology
Interviews as Topic
Male
Medical treatment
Mental Health
Middle Aged
Phenomenology
Qualitative Research
Social psychology
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Thyroid diseases evoke a complex range of psychological and physical symptoms. The psychosocial aspects of living with diseases causing hypo- or hyperthyroidism are poorly understood. In this article, we report the findings of a qualitative interview study in which we explored the lived experiences of 16 people with hypo- or hyperthyroidism. We purposefully selected participants from Danish outpatient clinics according to their diagnosis (Hashimoto’s thyroiditis or Graves’ disease with or without orbitopathy), age (18 to 65 years), and duration of treatment (more than 6 months). We used interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) as a theoretical frame and analytical approach and identified three superordinate themes: losing control over mental and physical states, ambiguous signs of disease, and negotiating sickness. We discuss the findings in the context of the recent literature on chronic illness and argue that these themes play an important role in the conceptualization and management of thyroid diseases.
ISSN:1049-7323
1552-7557
DOI:10.1177/1049732314554093