Experiencing and explaining disease

This is a completely revised and updated version of the 1985 edition by the same name. It is the last in a series of eight textbooks on the subject of health and disease. "Experiencing and Explaining Disease" has been designed to be read on its own, like any other textbook, or studied as part of the "U205 Health and Disease" course for Open University students. "Experiencing and Explaining Disease" is a multidisciplinary account of the major factors influencing the ways in which states of wellness or illness are explained by professionals and experienced by lay people. This book examines the variety of meanings given by doctors, patients and the media to four contrasting states of ill-health: rheumatoid arthritis - a chronic, painful and permanently disabling condition; HIV and AIDS - a viral infection which leads to other, still ultimately fatal infections; asthma - a respiratory disorder which can involve acute emergencies but may be chronic or self-limiting; and schizophrenia - a mental state characterized by thought disorder and problems in the perception of reality. "Experiencing and Explaining Disease" examines prevailing social norms affecting the status of the sick person; why are some blamed for their condition or excluded from normal social interactions, while others are considered brave or victims of environmental damage? What factors contribute to or alleviate pain and suffering? This book should be a valuable text for students of health studies, social work, social policy, medicine, nursing and the social sciences. It should also be important reading for a wide range of health professionals and carers.