en Neurology Neurology Original Article Original Article <p><span style="font-size:14px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman"><strong><em><span style="color:blue">Background</span></em></strong><em><span style="color:blue">:</span></em> This study aimed to explore the patients&#39; reactions when HAM/TSP was diagnosed. This qualitative content analysis study was conducted on HAM/TSP patients referred to an HTLV-1 clinic in Mashhad, Iran<span style="color:black">.</span><br> <strong><em><span style="color:blue">Methods:</span></em></strong> <span style="color:black">We selected a purposive sample of&nbsp;16 HAM/TSP patients meeting the inclusion criteria to participate in semi-structured interviews to explore their reactions and emotions when they first learned about their diagnosis. A<strong> </strong>qualitative content analysis was utilized with MAXQDA 2020 software.</span><br> <strong><em><span style="color:blue">Results:</span></em></strong> Four categories and 14 subcategories were extracted, summarized in the main concept &quot;Astonish yourself while worrying about another.&quot; The categories included threatened mental health, fear of falling into the path of ambiguity and darkness, fears and conflicts of deciding to expose the disease, and the double stress of threatening the health of others.&quot;<br> <strong><em><span style="color:blue">Conclusion</span></em></strong><em><span style="color:blue">:</span></em> HAM/TSP is an incurable and progressive disease with several physical complications. Its first diagnosis can also cause severe psychological damage to patients and profoundly affect the patient&#39;s social and family relationships. Therefore, it seems that education and health policies should integrate multidisciplinary teams to minimize the effects of HAM/TSP on the patients&#39; quality of life.</span></span><br> &nbsp;</p> content analysis, Human T-lymphotropic virus 1, lived experience 305 313 http://caspjim.com/browse.php?a_code=A-10-2681-2&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Malihe Davoudi davoudim981@mums.ac.ir 100319475328460052265 100319475328460052265 No Nursing and Midwifery Care Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran Reza Boostani boostanir@mums.ac.ir 100319475328460052266 100319475328460052266 No Department of Neurology Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Ghaem Hospital, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran Zahra Sadat Manzari manzariz@mums.ac.ir 100319475328460052267 100319475328460052267 Yes Nursing and Midwifery Care Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran