The experience of living with Parkinson's disease: An interpretative phenomenological analysis case study

What are the lived experiences of an individual with a chronic degenerative disorder? The aim of this study is to address this question by exploring one individual's personal experience of living with Parkinson's disease. The study reports data from semi-structured interviews with a female participant which was analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Analysis established two super-ordinate themes which are described here. The first theme provides a detailed picture of the day to day experience of living with Parkinson's disease. The daily challenges faced by the Parkinsonian patient are varied and dynamic and they illuminate the complex interrelationship between mind and body. The second theme examines how living with Parkinson's disease has a severe impact on the individual sense of self and agency. Analysis conveys how the visible symptoms of Parkinson's disease disrupt the sense of an integrated and autonomous self.