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Reviews tagging 'Chronic illness'
Unwell Women: Misdiagnosis and Myth in a Man-Made World by Elinor Cleghorn
29 reviews
solliereads's review against another edition
5.0
I really appreciated, too, having a clear timeline of events that provide much-needed context regarding various issues in women's health. It was by no means an easy read, and there were times where I was so disgusted by the things women have gone through that I wanted to put the book away, but it was certainly an immensely helpful one. Cleghorn has clearly gone to great lengths to write a text of such great importance on the subject of medical misogyny, and everything in her book is backed up by a massive amount of citations, none of which are pointlessly crammed in there either. I truly look forward to reading her upcoming book in 2024 - MOTHERS: An Intimate History - and I fully expect it to be just as crucial a read as this was.
Graphic: Misogyny, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Abortion, Sexual assault, Gaslighting, Infertility, and Chronic illness
Minor: Miscarriage, Rape, and Eating disorder
nialiversuch's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Ableism, Blood, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Terminal illness, Body horror, Abortion, Drug use, Cancer, Medical content, Racism, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, Death, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Medical trauma, Child death, Chronic illness, Body shaming, Classism, and Addiction
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Panic attacks/disorders
rosalind's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Drug use, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Medical content, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, and Cancer
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Forced institutionalization, Body horror, Chronic illness, Grief, Sexual content, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Colonisation, Eating disorder, Miscarriage, Abortion, and Rape
burdasnest's review against another edition
5.0
Moderate: Infertility, Pregnancy, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Ableism, Abortion, Miscarriage, Blood, Body shaming, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Rape, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Misogyny, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, and Slavery
tetedump's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Abortion, Cancer, Chronic illness, Colonisation, Death, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Slavery, Torture, and Violence
gabyrachel's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Medical trauma, Medical content, Misogyny, Mental illness, Chronic illness, Cancer, and Ableism
marybsimp's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Abortion, Blood, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Grief, Incest, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Rape, Racism, Sexual content, Suicide, and Terminal illness
allisonwonderlandreads's review against another edition
4.0
Cleghorn's dry humor was much appreciated throughout this journey to balance the horrific nature of the trends and stories she shares. I found the ancient history amusing, with the Greek concept of "the wandering womb" especially hilarious. But the lived realities of these experiences are far from funny. Seeing medical knowledge peeled back to reveal the insidious tentacles of patriarchy creeping through everything was somehow both liberating and disheartening. Women have survived some horrible shit, sometimes with no help from doctors, and others in spite of the very medical attention meant to cure their ills.
Of the many topics covered, here are just a few that will stay with me:
• hysteria, hormones, and the other excuses to dismiss women's pain altogether or root it in psychology
• abortion, forced sterilization, birth control, eugenics, and all the ways women's reproduction is more valued than her own well-being and decided by the medical apparatus
• the way medical knowledge has been accrued without female input or consent in so many cases -- I was especially horrified by accounts of research done on enslaved Black American women and the more recent trials of The Pill on Puerto Rican women without knowledge of the risks
• the lack of knowledge, empathy, and support for women with chronic pain conditions
This is far from a complete history, but I don't think that's feasible for one book, anyway. It's largely focused on the US and UK, but I was relieved that the author addresses race, class, and gender identity as intersectional factors in women's health. I will carry these thoughts into my own experiences as a patient, and I want to learn even more about this topic and advocacy.
Graphic: Ableism, Blood, Chronic illness, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Medical content, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racism, and Sexism
Moderate: Abortion, Cancer, Infertility, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Rape, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Terminal illness, and Torture
sebrittainclark's review against another edition
4.0
This book isn't an easy read, but it's an important one to understand the biases that exist in medicine today, like how many women don't know the signs of a heart attack because popular media focuses on the signs that appear in men. Or the multi-year process it takes to get a diagnosis of a chronic, or autoimmune disease, both of which disproportionately affect women.
Graphic: Chronic illness, Ableism, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, and Misogyny
Moderate: Sexual assault, Rape, Pregnancy, Panic attacks/disorders, Miscarriage, Abortion, Infertility, Blood, Cancer, and Death
Minor: Eating disorder