Document Detail


Morgellons: contested illness, diagnostic compromise and medicalisation.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  20149149     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
The case of Morgellons illustrates how the emergence of a new medically contested illness intersected with and impacted on the diagnostic processes of an existing uncontested psychiatric condition, Delusional Parasitosis (DP). More specifically, the sociopolitical processes at play in the contested illness, Morgellons, dubiously reflect patient empowerment, as well the resilience and power of medical jurisdiction. This research offers insights into the contested illness and medicalisation literatures, and aims to bridge these two approaches towards the relationship between patient empowerment and medical authority, which I do through the notion of doctor-patient compromise. The data for this research come from a comprehensive qualitative analysis of Morgellons discourse through four key sources: the pro-Morgellons website Morgellons.org; the anti-Morgellons website Morgellonswatch.com; the popular media's portrayal of Morgellons; and the DP and Morgellons articles published in peer-reviewed medical journals, as made available on PubMed.
Authors:
Brian Fair
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article     Date:  2010-02-12
Journal Detail:
Title:  Sociology of health & illness     Volume:  32     ISSN:  1467-9566     ISO Abbreviation:  Sociol Health Illn     Publication Date:  2010 May 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2010-07-07     Completed Date:  2010-11-01     Revised Date:  -    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  8205036     Medline TA:  Sociol Health Illn     Country:  England    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  597-612     Citation Subset:  IM    
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02453-2728, USA. bpf@brandeis.edu
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Delusions / diagnosis
Humans
Internet
Morgellons Disease / diagnosis*
Parasitic Diseases / diagnosis
Physician-Patient Relations*
Power (Psychology)*
Qualitative Research

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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