Tag: stigma

Call me Francisca

Francisca had always had difficulty getting pregnant. That is why she was exhilarated when she found out the news that she was having a baby. However, after some tests, Francisca was informed that she was HIV positive. Her doctors gave her antivirals and frequent checkups to keep her viral load low, but they did not inform her about much else. She felt guilt-ridden. When the time came for her birth, she had a C-section performed by a different doctor. After her son was born, a nurse informed her that her sterilization went well. Francisca later sued the hospital for a violation of rights.

This narrative is available in a Spanish transcription and as an English translation. It originates from Chile in 2002. As a patient, Francisca’s trust and rights were violated. Accessible to upper intermediate Spanish readers; transcription helps with audio. Useful for discussion of reproductive rights, women’s health.

Speaking of Addiction

Dr. Meaghan Ruddy speaks on the importance of the language that health care providers choose to talk about drug addicts, specifically opioid addicts. She shares her story of when she critiqued the label “drug-seekers” in an emergency department that had many such cases. Dr. Ruddy then calls for a focus on destigmatization for drug addiction in future generations of medical professionals. Relevant to pre-med, medical students.

Tourette Syndrome: The biomedical and the literary.

The blog “According to the Arts” is written for the general public. The posts juxtapose a medical description of an illness or disability, in this case Tourette Syndrome, with a novel in which one of the main characters exhibits the condition. The novel captures the signs and symptoms, and describes how Tourette syndrome can affect lives of people living with Tourette and of living with someone who has it. The biomedical text from a neurology journal describes the characteristic tics and behaviors. Comparing the story to the medical account shows the science vs humanities perspectives on illness and could be useful for undergraduate classes in health humanities, especially ones focused on writing. Also useful for health professions students and professionals to emphasize the human factors often missed in clinical encounters.