| Description |
xiii, 351 pages ; 22 cm |
| Series |
Mariner book |
|
Mariner book.
|
| Contents |
1. A Much Maligned Malady -- 2. The Many Faces of Somatization -- 3. Digging Beneath Symptoms -- 4. Are Hypochondriacs Born or Made? The Nature-Nurture Debate -- 5. Healthism: A Symptom of Our Time -- 6. It's Never All in Your Head -- 7. The Susceptibility Factor -- 8. Family Ties - in Sickness and in Health -- 9. Between Doctor and Patient -- 10. The Steps to Successful Treatment -- Appendix: A Self-Diagnostic Test for Hypochondria |
| Summary |
"In many minds, the term "hypochondriac" is synonymous with crank, malingerer, and fraud. However, hypochondriacs are not, in fact, pretending to be sick. Their complaints may be exaggerated, but their pain and suffering are real." "In her compassionate book, Carla Cantor offers hope to those who suffer from this debilitating disorder. As one who has struggled with bodily preoccupations and fear of disease, she shares what she has learned on the road to recovery. Through extensive interviews with physicians and compelling stories of men and women disabled by illness phobias and incomprehensible symptoms, Cantor helps to erase the stigma of hypochondria." "Medicine's generally dismissive attitude toward this condition has left patients shuttling from emergency rooms to specialists to medical laboratories, for hypochondria is a significant challenge to the health care system. But a growing number of health professionals are trying to identify hypochondriacal patients and to figure out the underlying causes of their pain." "Phantom Illness summarizes the latest theories on the origins and nature of the disorder; describes treatments, including medication, behavior therapy, and psychotherapy; and offers a diagnostic test so that readers can determine whether they are abnormally concerned about their health. Once they understand the tangled history of this malady and its prevalence, readers may be more accepting of the tendency toward hypochondria in themselves or in someone they love."--BOOK JACKET |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages [299]-326) and index |
| Subject |
Hypochondria.
|
| Author |
Fallon, Brian, M.D.
|
| LC no. |
95026084 |
| ISBN |
0395689880 |
|
