{"product_id":"my-imaginary-illness-a-journey-into-uncertainty-and-prejudice-in-medical-diagnosis-hardback-9780801448874","title":"My Imaginary Illness; A Journey Into Uncertainty and Prejudice in Medical Diagnosis (Hardback) 9780801448874","description":"\u003cfont face=\"Georgia\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"6\"\u003eMy Imaginary Illness\u003c\/font\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\u003cfont size=\"5\"\u003eA Journey Into Uncertainty and Prejudice in Medical Diagnosis\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"4\"\u003eChloe Atkins (Author), Bonnie Blair O'toole (Foreword by), Brian D. Hodges (Afterword by)\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e9780801448874\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eHardback, published 15 November 2010\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e248 pages\u003cbr\u003e22.9 x 15.2 x 2.4 cm, 0.907 kg\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eHow Patients Think\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAt age twenty-one, Chloë Atkins began suffering from a mysterious illness, the symptoms of which rapidly worsened.\u003c\/b\u003e Paralyzed for months at a time, she frequently required intubation and life support. She eventually became quadriplegic, dependent both on a wheelchair and on health professionals who refused to believe there was anything physically wrong with her. When test after test returned inconclusive results, Atkins's doctors pronounced her symptoms psychosomatic. Atkins was told not only that she was going to die but also that this was her own fault; they concluded she was so emotionally deranged that she was willing her own death.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMy Imaginary Illness is the compelling story of Atkins's decades-long battle with a disease deemed imaginary, her frustration with a succession of doctors and diagnoses, her immersion in the world of psychotherapy, and her excruciating physical and emotional journey back to wellness. As both a political theorist and patient, Atkins provides a narrative critique of contemporary medicine and its problematic handling of uncertainty and of symptoms that are not easily diagnosed or known. She convincingly illustrates that medicine's belief in evidence-based practice does not mean that individual doctors are capable of objectivity, nor that the presence of biomedical ethics invokes ethical practices in hospitals and clinics. A foreword by Bonnie Blair O'Connor, who teaches medical students how to listen to patients, and a clinical commentary by Dr. Brian David Hodges, a professor of psychiatry, enrich the book's narrative with practical guidance for medical practitioners and patients alike.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eForeword by Bonnie Blair O'Connor\u003cbr\u003e Introduction1 Beginnings\u003cbr\u003e 2 The Original Crisis\u003cbr\u003e 3 Facing Uncertainty\u003cbr\u003e 4 Ontological Apprehensions\u003cbr\u003e 5 Diagnosis: Conversion Reaction\u003cbr\u003e 6 Credo\u003cbr\u003e 7 More Paralysis and More Psychological Remedies\u003cbr\u003e 8 A Pyrrhic Victory\u003cbr\u003e 9 Becoming a Pariah\u003cbr\u003e 10 Fire! Fire!\u003cbr\u003e 11 Love in the Midst of Ruin\u003cbr\u003e 12 Grasping at a Diagnosis, Hoping for a Cure\u003cbr\u003e 13 The Crisis Deepens\u003cbr\u003e 14 Contemplating Hemlock\u003cbr\u003e 15 Icarus\u003cbr\u003e 16 A Crisis, American Style\u003cbr\u003e 17 GravyClinical Commentary by Brian David Hodges, MD\u003cbr\u003e Bibliography\u003cbr\u003e About the Authors\u003cbr\u003e Index\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003c\/font\u003e","brand":"ILR Press","offers":[{"title":"Brand New","offer_id":52745260630296,"sku":"9780801448874","price":23.66,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/products\/my-imaginary-illness-a-journey-into-uncertainty-and-prejudice-in-medical-diagnosis-hardback-9780801448874","provider":"Freshly Printed Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}