{"title":"An Autoethnographic Account of Familial Mediterranean Fever: A Turkish Patient's Discovery of Spiritual Meaning.","authors":"Cigdem Yuksel","doi":"10.1007/s10943-025-02253-2","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF) is a genetic autoinflammatory disorder characterized by recurrent febrile episodes that are accompanied by pain in the abdomen, chest, or joints caused by peritonitis, pleuritis, skin lesions, arthritis, and pericarditis. This original article aims to provide an analytic autoethnographic account of a Turkish patient's experience of FMF, with a focus on the discovery of spiritual meaning. In addition to discussing the grief reactions to a loss of health, the article uses self-reflexive discourse and narrative-based analysis to explore four stages of discovery of spiritual meaning through FMF: \"omnipotent me,\" \"God's punishment,\" \"God's test,\" and \"God's mercy.\" The article provides an in-depth look at the experience of FMF, a chronic and lifelong disease, through a spiritual lens and offers suggestions for mental health professionals and rheumatologists providing holistic treatment to FMF patients that might improve treatment adherence.</p>","PeriodicalId":48054,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Religion & Health","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2000,"publicationDate":"2025-01-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Religion & Health","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-025-02253-2","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF) is a genetic autoinflammatory disorder characterized by recurrent febrile episodes that are accompanied by pain in the abdomen, chest, or joints caused by peritonitis, pleuritis, skin lesions, arthritis, and pericarditis. This original article aims to provide an analytic autoethnographic account of a Turkish patient's experience of FMF, with a focus on the discovery of spiritual meaning. In addition to discussing the grief reactions to a loss of health, the article uses self-reflexive discourse and narrative-based analysis to explore four stages of discovery of spiritual meaning through FMF: "omnipotent me," "God's punishment," "God's test," and "God's mercy." The article provides an in-depth look at the experience of FMF, a chronic and lifelong disease, through a spiritual lens and offers suggestions for mental health professionals and rheumatologists providing holistic treatment to FMF patients that might improve treatment adherence.
期刊介绍:
Journal of Religion and Health is an international publication concerned with the creative partnership of psychology and religion/sprituality and the relationship between religion/spirituality and both mental and physical health. This multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary journal publishes peer-reviewed original contributions from scholars and professionals of all religious faiths. Articles may be clinical, statistical, theoretical, impressionistic, or anecdotal. Founded in 1961 by the Blanton-Peale Institute, which joins the perspectives of psychology and religion, Journal of Religion and Health explores the most contemporary modes of religious thought with particular emphasis on their relevance to current medical and psychological research.