Background: In Hungary the psychological care provided during the rehabilitation of
patients with chronic illnesses is insufficient. Patients with addiction, on the other
hand, appear to make more use of psychological services. Narratives of patients recovering
from addiction and patients with various chronic illnesses were examined in order
to gain a better understanding of psychological phenomena during rehabilitation. Methods:
Semi-structured interviews were carried out. Narrative and thematic analysis was used
in order to determine the structure and characteristics of patients' narratives. Results:
The narratives of patients recovering from addiction were found to be more structured
and uniform; they identified with their illness and played an active role in their
recovery. Patients with a chronic illness mainly recounted passive events and physical
difficulties. Stigmatization was mentioned by both groups. Implications for practice:
The level of stigmatization experienced by patients with a chronic illness may be
one of the reasons why they use healthcare services more frequently than patients
with an addiction. The authors believe that teaching patients to provide good narratives
about suffering from and recovering from chronic illnesses may aid them in the rehabilitation
process. An adaptive mixture of different illnesses and addiction narratives might
be beneficial in the recovery process of various patient groups.
