The Nocebo Effect documents the transformation of normal problems into medical ones and brings out the risks of this inflationary practice. One notable risk is that people labeled as sick may find themselves living up to their label through the alchemy of the nocebo effect. Please follow the table of contents in the published book.
“The author has taken the subject of medicalisation to a whole new level by demonstrating how a distorted judgment and overzealous diagnosis … the recognised coin of the realm—not only distorts the calculation of harms and benefits but negatively affects a patient’s health and well-being through the power of suggestion. … he has brilliantly demonstrated how the over-prescription of psychoactive drugs has taken place under the auspices of the DSM and distorted the calculation of risks and benefits.” (John S. Haller, Jr., Medical History, Vol. 61 (1), 2017)
“The Nocebo Effect is both thought provoking and groundbreaking. … The book is unique in surveying the extent and impact of medicalization of both physical and mental health. … This work is essential reading for any practitioner supporting someone with a psychiatric diagnosis, and for those in third sector and policy-making bodies so they can legitimately assess the impact of their work.” (Claire Powell and Jo Thompson, The Journal of Critical Psychology, Vol. 16 (1), 2016)
Stewart Justman is Professor and Director of the Liberal Studies program at the University of Montana, USA, and has written many books and articles on both medicine and literary history. For Seeds of Mortality, a study of cancer, he received the 2004 PEN Award for the Art of the Essay.
