Readership: Anyone interested in the sociology of medicine.
Robert Klitzman, Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, Columbia University, USA
"This is one of the best books written on the role reversal that occurs when physicians become ill. It opens readers' eyes to the vulnerability and human nature of physicians. Anyone in heathcare will be moved and benefit immensely from this book. The author is a compassionate and well-read clinician of both psychiatry and of the human spirit. This is one of the best books of the year." - Doody's Notes
1: Introduction Part I: Becoming a Patient 2: "Magic white coats": forms of denial and other internal obstacles to becoming a patient 3: "The medical self": self-doctoring and choosing doctors 4: "Screw-ups": external obstacles faced in becoming patients 5: "They treated me as if I were dead": peripheralization and discrimination 6: "Coming out" as patients: disclosures of illness Part II: Being a Doctor After Being A Patient 7: Double lens: contrasting views and uses of medical knowledge 8: "Being strong": Workaholism, burnout, and coping 9: "Once a doctor, always a doctor?": retirement 10: Touched by the light: spiritual beliefs and their obstacles Part III: Interacting with Their Patients 11: "Us vs. them": treating patients differently 12: Improving education: can empathy be taught? 13: Conclusions: the professional self
