How Tolstoy and Solzhenitsyn Define Life and Death in Cancer

Florijn, Barend W.; Kaptein, Ad A.

doi:10.1177/1049909112452626

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 7 publications

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“…According to Charon (2006), these teaching methods "may strengthen those cognitive and imaginative abilities that are required for one person to take in and appreciate the representation-and therefore the reality-of another" (p. 113). As such, close reading of illness novels provides a valuable perspective on the medical curriculum (Florijn & Kaptein, 2013) because doing so develops attention, representation, and affiliation (Charon, Hermann, & Devlin, 2016), increases medical students self-reported levels of empathy and satisfaction with the clinical encounter (Kaptein, Hughes, Murray, & Smyth, 2018), and facilitates complex issues such as breaking bad news with patients (Skye, Wagenschutz, Steiger, & Kumagai, 2014). Therefore, exploring illness representations in narratives through close reading may enable medical students, future doctors, and physicians to recognize this same language when it appears in clinical practice interaction.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Narrative medicine: A comparison of terminal cancer patients’ stories from a Dutch hospice with those of Anatole Broyard and Christopher Hitchens

Florijn

Graaf²,

Schoones

et al. 2018

Death Studies

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Not all physicians readily discuss death with their terminal patients. To explore whether physicians discuss dying with their terminal patients and to pursue an in-depth understanding of patients' perceptions of death, we interviewed terminal cancer patients in a Dutch hospice and compared their stories to quotes from two autobiographies on dying from cancer, Christopher Hitchens' Mortality and Anatole Broyard's Intoxicated by my illness. This narrative medicine study could potentially teach physicians they should discuss impending death to prevent the use of an invasive medical treatment that typically extends the quantity, but not the quality, of life.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Narrative medicine: A comparison of terminal cancer patients’ stories from a Dutch hospice with those of Anatole Broyard and Christopher Hitchens

Florijn

Graaf²,

Schoones

et al. 2018

Death Studies

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Narrative medicine pinpoints loss of autonomy and stigma in Parkinson’s disease

Florijn,

Kloppenborg,

Kaptein

et al. 2023

npj Parkinsons Dis.

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Parkinson’s disease characteristics can create a self-perceived sense of stigmatization and disapproval by others, thereby affecting self-perceived autonomy. This study investigated the metaphors related to the loss of autonomy and stigma in stories and drawings of Parkinson’s disease. We compare a contemporary first-person illness narrative and -drawing from a person with Parkinson’s disease, with two novels (Jonathan Franzen’s The Corrections and Claudia Piñeiro’s Elena Knows), a graphic novel (Peter Dunlap-Shohl’s My Degeneration: A Journey Through Parkinson’s), a non-fiction book (Oliver Sacks’ Awakenings) and a first-person illness narrative (John Palfreman’s The Bright Side of Parkinson’s). Metaphors in the patient narrative, novels, and non-fiction work were reviewed and a list of themes or categorizations common to 2 of the metaphors was generated. Parkinson’s disease metaphors indicate a ‘Parkinson’s prism’ thereby depicting extreme experiences (24.4%) like a ‘fall by mischance’, a ‘tantrum of selfish misery’ or a ‘bottomless darkness and unreality’ (Table 1). Both novels signify a sense of ‘betrayal and disconnection’ in the Parkinson’s disease experience while non-fiction of Parkinsonism depicts a space in which one feels ‘caged and deprived’. This makes the Parkinson’s disease narrative a chaos story that could influence the decision to initiate treatment and treatment adherence. We conclude that narrative medicine can help to focus the medical consultations with affected individuals on issues that matter most to them, thereby improving self-perceived autonomy and stigma. As such, it is a critical component of the much-needed move towards personalized medicine in Parkinson’s disease, achieved through the reciprocity of thinking with stories.

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Psychology in the hospital context: Experiences of patients with non-communicable chronic diseases

Cemin,

Godoy,

Fiuza

2024

Estud. psicol. (Campinas)

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Objective To identify the factors involved in the experience of Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases in patients of a hospital institution, based on electronic medical records documented by the psychology service. Method A documental-qualitative-exploratory study, carried out with 69 participants. The data were submitted to an open model content analysis with pairing strategy. Results Four categories were created: Diagnosis assimilation and adaptation to treatment; Death: fear and longing; Symptoms of anxiety and depression; Acceptance of the disease and hope. Conclusion The study underscores the importance of understanding the unique coping strategies and individual experiences of patients facing pain and suffering resulting from chronic diseases. Qualified listening was crucial in this process, enabling the understanding of what is normative and what is pathological. However, further investigations regarding this theme should be promoted with medical records covering other aspects and categories not included in this study.

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How Tolstoy and Solzhenitsyn Define Life and Death in Cancer

Abstract: Tolstoy's novel shows death as an honest prospect. Solzhenitsyn's novel shows the opposite: the prospect of love and life helps the protagonist patient psychologically through his disease. The patient interview revealed no discussion of death at all.

Cited by 4 publications

References 7 publications

Narrative medicine: A comparison of terminal cancer patients’ stories from a Dutch hospice with those of Anatole Broyard and Christopher Hitchens

Narrative medicine: A comparison of terminal cancer patients’ stories from a Dutch hospice with those of Anatole Broyard and Christopher Hitchens

Narrative medicine pinpoints loss of autonomy and stigma in Parkinson’s disease

Psychology in the hospital context: Experiences of patients with non-communicable chronic diseases

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