For many doctors, their role as powerful healer precludes thoughts of ever getting sick themselves. When they do, it initiates a profound shift of awareness-- not only in their sense of their selves, which is invariably bound up with the "invincible doctor" role, but in the way that they view their patients and the doctor-patient relationship. While some books have been written from first-person perspectives on doctors who get sick-- by Oliver Sacks among them-- and TV shows like "House" touch on the topic, never has there been a "systematic, integrated look" at what the experience is like for doctors who get sick, and what it can teach us about our current health care system and more broadly, the experience of becoming ill.The psychiatrist Robert Klitzman here weaves together gripping first-person accounts of the experience of doctors who fall ill and see the other side of the coin, as a patient. The accounts reveal how dramatic this transformation can be-- a spiritual journey for some, a radical change of identity for others, and for some a new way of looking at the risks and benefits of treatment options. For most however it forever changes the way they treat their own patients. These questions are important not just on a human interest level, but for what they teach us about medicine in America today. While medical technology advances, the health care system itself has become more complex and frustrating, and physician-patient trust is at an all-time low. The experiences offered here are unique resource that point the way to a more humane future.

Do you feel that your doctor doesn't pay attention to what you say? Does your doctor cut you off when you try to explain how you feel? Do you think your doctor could remember your name without referring to your chart? Does your doctor seem to be in such a hurry that you don't even get a chance to ask your most important questions? Do you spend more time waiting than actually talking to your doctor? Do you understand what your doctor says? At one time or another, we have all had these complaints. This book will teach you how to ask the right questions, understand the answers, and show you how to take more control of your visits to the doctor and your own health. This is the first book in which communication pioneer Barbara M. Korsch, M.D., reveals what she has learned about the doctor-patient relationship dilemma during almost half a century of investigation. In clear, simple language, Dr. Korsch answers most of our common questions: How do I know when I'm sick enough to go to the doctor? How do I know if it's serious enough to go to the emergency room? What do I do if I can't follow the advice my doctor gives me? She walks us through a typical visit to the doctor, showing us how to prepare ourselves so we don't forget the question that has been worrying us for weeks as soon as we walk through the doctor's door. She gives important tips on how to survive the dreaded hospital experience. And she offers insight into the doctor's side of the relationship, showing how doctors are trained to be task-oriented and how their natural human sympathy is discouraged throughout their careers. Finally, she offers patients useful strategies for humanizing the relationship. Korsch's helpful, commonsense recommendations are extensively illustrated with real-life doctor-patient conversations which she recorded on audio and video tape over the course of the last thirty years. She was one of the first medical professionals to emphasize the importance of teaching doctors how to talk to patients as part of their medical training. She serves as consultant and lecturer to medical schools, hospitals, and medical practices throughout the world to help the next generation of doctors communicate with their patients. Above all, after years of research, she has found abundant evidence that the relationship patients form with their doctors directly determines the quality of the care they receive. This is a vital book for anyone who is concerned about their health and who wants to take control of their medical care. So much depends upon asking the right questions and on finding a doctor who will listen to you. This book gives you the tools and the confidence to do just that.

Step into the fascinating world of medicine and human relationships with "Doctor and Patient" by S. Weir Mitchell. In this insightful book, Mitchell-a pioneering physician and neurologist-offers a compelling exploration of the complex dynamics between doctors and their patients. Drawing upon his years of experience in medical practice, Mitchell reflects on the challenges and responsibilities that come with caring for the sick and injured. Through a series of illuminating essays and case studies, he examines the intricacies of the doctor-patient relationship, exploring topics such as empathy, communication, and trust. More than just a treatise on medical ethics, "Doctor and Patient" is a meditation on the human condition and the profound impact of illness and suffering on both patients and caregivers. Mitchell's compassionate insights and keen observations offer valuable guidance for healthcare professionals and patients alike, reminding us of the importance of compassion, understanding, and mutual respect in the healing process. Whether you're a healthcare professional seeking to deepen your understanding of the doctor-patient relationship or a patient navigating the complexities of medical care, this book offers invaluable insights and perspectives that will enrich your experience and help you navigate the challenges of illness and recovery with grace and dignity. Let S. Weir Mitchell be your guide as you explore the intricate dance of healing and humanity in "Doctor and Patient."

From time immemorial, medicine has remained one of the most respected professions. Trust formed the unshakeable foundation of the doctor-patient relationship and, for long, doctors were treated next to God. In recent times, though, this sacred relationship is suffering from an erosion of faith. We often hear discouraging stories of doctors being abused and hospitals vandalised. The narrative is gradually turning negative-a dismal reality for both doctors and patients. We tend to forget that there are many great things happening in the medical world. Today, we are living much longer, we have managed to eradicate many diseases, we have vaccines that prevent our children from dying, life-saving surgeries are being performed while the baby is still in the womb, and we can give the gift of life to someone by transplanting vital organs. Medical miracles are happening every day in hospitals worldwide. This book is a collection of heartfelt stories by doctors and patients from across the globe. These are stories of triumph, empathy, positivity, loss and, sometimes, failure. It goes one step ahead and captures the experience of people who surround a doctor-the mother of a doctor, a surgeon's husband and an acid attack survivor-stories that underline that a doctor too is a human being after all. Human resilience can often break barriers, and these stories serve as inspiration to both patients and doctors alike. Riveting and absolutely unputdownable, Dear People gives an inside view of the world of medicine and hopes to inspire millions to retain faith in this beautiful relationship.

If medicine is so great, why are more people getting sick? Why don't people turn up for follow-up checks or take their pills properly? And why do patients sometimes seem to come from another planet?Medicine doesn't happen in a vacuum. It happens between doctors and patients, who seem to inhabit very different worlds. It's not enough to think about medicine. We need to think more about patients. Thinking About Patients promotes a multidimensional model of medicine. It offers a practical guide to the psychological and social processes involved in practising medicine and in being a patient. It will help us to return to what medicine is all about - using our skills to serve patients.

When a doctor gets sick, his status changes. No longer is his role de fined as deriving from doctus, i. e. , learned, but as from patiens, the present participle of the deponent verb, patior, i. e. , to suffer, with all the passive acceptance of pain the verb implies. From pass us, the past participle, we get the word passion, with its wide gamut of emotional allusions, ranging from animal lust to the sufferings of martyrs. It is the connotation, not the denotation, of the word that defines the change of status. When a doctor is sick enough to be admitted to a hospital, he can no longer write orders; orders are written about him, removing him from control of his own situation. One recalls a sonnet from W. H. Auden's sequence, The Quest, which closes with the lines: Unluckily they were their situation: One should not give a poisoner medicine, A conjuror fine apparatus, Nor a rifle to a melancholic bore. That is a reasonable expression of twentieth-century skepticism and ra tionalism. Almost all medical literature is written from the doctor's point of view. Only a few medically trained writers-one thinks of Chekhov's Ward Six-manage to incorporate the patient's response to his situa tion. Patients' voices were not much in evidence until well into the twentieth century, but an early example is John Donne's Devotions upon Emergent Occasions (1624).

Doctors, as strong, clever, resourceful professionals, are heir to human frailty and illness, like anyone else. This book is about diagnosable, label-able mental illness such as eating disorders, affective disorders and, sometimes, psychosis. More than that, it is a book about doctors, many fully-functioning, practising doctors, who suffer from these illnesses, and the unique insights and problems that arise when the doctor is the patient, especially when questions of insight and judgement are blurred.

Patients have personal strategies in solving the problems concerning their illness. Doctors have personal and professional strategies in solving the problems with their patients. This book explores the problematic triangle between doctors, patients and the illness, using illustrations from internal medicine, nephrology, cardiology, oncology and neurology. Enhancement of the doctor-patient interaction is an important contribution to the mutual reduction of stress and therefore the improvement of the course of (long-term) illness. The first part of the book describes reasons why the partnership between doctor and patient should be improved. The second part offers concrete and practical options to achieve that improvement.

Historically, the doctor-patient relationship has been based on a one-way trust--despite recent judicial attempts to give patients a greater voice. Seeing a growing need for more honest and complete communication between physician and patient, Dr. Jay Katz advocates a new, informed dialogue that respects the rights and needs of both sides. A new Preface outlines changes since the book's publication in 1984.