“How people live when they feel depressed?”－A Phenomenological Analysis of Depressive Patients' Experience of Thinking Repetitively

• Main Authors: Chia-Chi Wang, 王家齊
• Other Authors: Gin-Hong Lee
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2012
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/16998441414660201172

碩士 === 輔仁大學 === 臨床心理學系碩士班 === 100 === Background: Research of repetitive thought and rumination indicated that people who ruminate/think repetitively after experiencing depressive mood will have more negative effect (Nolen-Hoeksema, 1991). And One of repetitive thoughts’ general components, content valence, has the most effect on peoples’ adaption (Segerstrom et. al., 2003). However, the definition of rumination is vague and overlapping, and the concept of “content valence” can’t explain the paradox of depressive patients’ repetitive thought, even feeling suffering, they still can’t stop their thinking. To improve our understanding of this phenomenon, researchers have to revisit subject’s “subjective experience”. Purpose: This research’s purpose is using phenomenological method to analyze the experience of people who think repetitively when they feel depressed in order to amplify our understanding of this phenomenon. Method: 5 subjects (1 male, 4 female) diagnosed as major depressive disorder referred by a psychiatrist participated in this study. They all have the experience of thinking repetitively when they felt depressed. All subjects completed BDI-II, CRSQ, and interviewed by researcher 1-2 times, the total time of interview for each time is about 1.5 hours. All the interview is transcribed. The modified step of phenomenological analysis suggested by Li & Lai (2009) is used to analyze the verbatim text. Results: Our results indicate that depressive patients depart from their “daily life”, and come into “suffering life” by: (1) experiencing depressive symptoms and feeling of disability, and (2) Comparing their “life” to self/others’ life. They regress to daily life by (1) using repetitive thought, action, body experience to leave suffering life, and (2) avoiding to came into “patient’s life”, which means to be recognized as “patient” by self and others. To summarize, a general structure of depressive patients’ living experience demonstrate a ”Daily life – Patient life – Suffering life” situation, which can describe depressive patients’ asking for help, rumination/repetitive thought, body experience, and suicide attempt. Discussion: (1) Different from Response Style Theory’s proposition of rumination as emotion regulation strategy, this study propose that rumination/repetitive thought is a deviant situation form “daily life”, aims to “make sense of” where they are. (2) The dichotomy of “positive negative” content is too vague to explain depressive patients’ suffering life. (3) For clinicians who work with depressive patient, this study suggests that clinicians should, with empathetic attitude, “see” their patients’ striving to return to daily life, and discuss this experience with them.