Understanding Illness & Health

UNDERSTANDING HEALTH & ILLNESS

A HEALTH STUDIES READER

Depression & Stigma in American Culture Sharon O’Brien, Ph.D. English Studies The author uses cultural attitudes toward illness in general -- and depression in particular -- in order to explore the different cultural meanings attached to disease. The essay concludes by considering the ways in which such socially-constructed narratives affect the perspectives of medical institutions, health care providers, and patients.

Fat Studies Amy Farrell, Ph.D., American Studies & Women's Studies The field of Fat Studies challenges us to think about the meaning of fatness, the power of fat stigma, and the dangers inherent when an apparent health crisis also becomes a moral crisis. This article provides an overview of this new academic field, focusing specifically on (1) the history and power of fat stigma, (2) the discrimination faced by fat people, and (3) the Health at Every Size movement.
	Health at Every Size Body Positive: Boosting body image at any weight Healthy Weight Network	The Body Positive National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance Health at Every Size Journal

The Medicalization of Gender & Sexual Deviance: Social Values & Psychiatric Diagnosis Megan Yost, Ph.D. Psychology, & Tara Smith, Ph.D. Psychology Psychiatric diagnoses are made by physicians whose understanding of illness is shaped by American Psychiatric Association (APA) guidelines. These guidelines are informed not only by scientific research, but also by societal opinion. This essay examines the history of the psychiatric community’s diagnoses of homosexuality and gender identity disorder in order to highlight the give-and-take between societal opinion and medical practice.
	Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) American Psychological Association: Lesbian, Gay, & Bisexual Concerns Association of Gay and Lesbian Psychiatrists National Gay and Lesbian Task Force	Gender Public Advocacy Coalition GID Reform Human Rights Campaign National Gay and Lesbian Task Force This American Life

From Cure-all to Carcinogen Julie Winterich, Ph.D., Women's Studies This essay discusses key factors that influenced the transformation of the public’s view of menopause from an expected experience to an illness with health risks. The essay discusses how this transformation was precipitated by the development and marketing (by drug companies), popularization (e.g., via Wilson’s 1960s bestseller “Feminine Forever”) and prescription (by physicians) of hormone drugs to treat the so-called symptoms of menopause in American women.
	NHLBI Women's Health Initiative (WHI) The Nurses' Health Study (NHS)	National Osteoporosis Foundation

Poverty, Illness & Trauma in the Delta Kim Rogers, Ph.D. History Awaiting original draft.