Écriture de soi et identité narrative : quel apport pour le rétablissement de la personne âgée dépressive ?

Aims

Based on Michel Foucault's notion of subjectivation through self-writing and Paul Ricœur's reworking of narrative identity, our aim is to clarify the clinical relevance of an autobiographical writing group for depressed seniors.

Method

After an analysis of Foucault's self-writing and its relationship to Ricœur's narrative identity, we illustrate its scope by studying the dynamics generated by the participation of an elderly depressive patient in an autobiographical writing group. The effects of the participation on depression were assessed using the Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale, an observation grid of the group activity, a semi-directive interview held at the end of the program, and a series of remote clinical interviews.

Results

In addition to an improvement in mood, the way the person appropriated the writing process gives evidence of an experiential recovery, with a new meaning conferred to one's existence and an in-depth reconfiguration of the subjective universe.

Discussion

The concepts of self-writing and narrative identity are complementary in shedding light on the dynamics observed in the reported case. The data gathered from the person, who was not initially expected to embrace the invitation to write (lack of educational achievements, entrenched depression in a 70-year-old complicated by dependency), confirms the clinical potential of an approach based on self-writing within a group of elderly people.

Conclusion

The proposal of a structured writing activity, based on the conceptual contributions of Michel Foucault and Paul Ricœur, may prove fruitful in the recovery process for elderly people with depression, even if this can only be confirmed by the appropriation of the process within the person's lived experience.