The lived experiences of psychiatrists working with individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease

Abstract

This study explored the lived experiences of psychiatrists working with individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease [AD]. Five psychiatrists with experience in dementia participated in this study. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews, and analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. The findings yielded two superordinate ‘umbrella’ themes which encapsulated five major themes. The first superordinate theme was ‘AD as a multifaceted journey’, which encompassed three major themes: Psychiatrists’ own interpretation of AD, Psychiatrists’ perception of the patients’ journey, and Psychiatrists’ experience of the family’s journey. The second superordinate theme was ‘Systemic challenges’, which encompassed two major themes, being Quality vs. quantity, and Ideal vs. reality. Participants made use of their own lived experiences to gain further insight into the experiences lived by patients with AD and their caregivers. Moreover, findings highlighted issues of working the local context which could be investigated further, in aim of improving the management of AD.