Graduation Year
2024
Document Type
Thesis
Degree
M.A.
Degree Name
Master of Arts (M.A.)
Degree Granting Department
Anthropology
Major Professor
Elizabeth Miller, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Heide Castaneda, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Daniel Lende, Ph.D.
Keywords
Autoimmune Disease, Communitas, Embodiment, Infusion, Stigma
Abstract
“You are the healthiest looking sick person I’ve ever met”
(Daphne, 62)
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is one of many chronic illnesses considered to be “invisible.” Once the onset of symptoms occurs, the illness can drastically change the dynamic of an individual's life in ways that may not be noticeable to others, even before a chronic illness diagnosis. I discuss how these individuals experience the liminal period of developing symptoms and seeking a diagnosis. Furthermore, I discuss vignettes that exemplifies the occurrence of a liminal state while looking at the current for-profit set-up of healthcare in the United States. Utilizing focus groups, participant observation, and interviews, this paper looks to understand ethnographically informed pathways of care for patient experience and to explore where current medical systems can work to accommodate a faster diagnosis time. Moreover, this study aims to discover a pattern in qualitative health where patient advocacy can align with quantitative health for use by physicians.
Scholar Commons Citation
Appleton, Kaylee A., "“You are not the Same Person You Were:” On Diagnosis Seeking During a Liminal Period and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus" (2024). USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/10162
