From diagnosis to social diagnosis

Brown, Phil; Lyson, Mercedes C.; Jenkins, Tania M.

doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2011.05.031

Cited by 65 publications

(81 citation statements)

References 7 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…When diseases have contested or uncertain causes, social diagnoses become crucial (Brown 2011). The concept of 'social diagnosis' connects a specific illness to social, political, economic and cultural conditions, and it also involves social actors that help to uncover the political and economic factors that determine health and illness (Brown 2011).…”

Section: Biopower and The Politicization Of (Ill) Bodiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The concept of 'social diagnosis' connects a specific illness to social, political, economic and cultural conditions, and it also involves social actors that help to uncover the political and economic factors that determine health and illness (Brown 2011). Foucault argued that biopower, including regulatory controls and the anatomopolitics of the human body (Foucault 1990) -which entailed the individual body, as a machine, to be disciplined -, consolidated and established over the nineteenth century.…”

Section: Biopower and The Politicization Of (Ill) Bodiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The politicization of ill bodies in Campania, Italy

Iengo

Armiero

2017

Journal of Political Ecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The communities affected by toxic contamination in Campania, Italy, have had to confront the challenge of proving a direct causal connection between exposure to pollutants and health issues, given a long history of mismanagement of waste. Medical studies have been conducted, but the social and political debate is static. In September 2014, the Italian Ministry of Health simply repeated earlier statements that Campania's increasing cancer rates are due to poor lifestyle habits. The article casts light on the politicization of ill bodies of Campania. We analyze three practices of political action and resistance which employed the subjectivization of physical bodies and illnesses to expose environmental injustice affecting communities. In the neighborhood of Pianura, Naples, people gathered medical records as evidence for a trial into 'culpable epidemics.' In the so-called Land of Fires, in the northern periphery of Naples, hundreds of postcards featuring pictures of children killed by rare pathologies were sent to the Italian Head of State and the Pope. Finally, in the town of Acerra, the blood of a dying shepherd became a political object to prove exposure to dioxin contamination in that area. The politicization of illness and bodies conflates the public and private, challenges the mainstream production of knowledge, and proposes an alternative narrative for affected communities and individuals. Nevertheless, the practices of this politicization have differed and are not always 'political', as we will show through the three cases. Key words: popular epidemiology, biopower, waste, Campania, political ecology of disease, private is political RésuméLes communautés affectées par la contamination toxique en Campanie, en Italie, ont dû faire face au défi de prouver un lien de causalité direct entre l'exposition aux polluants et les problèmes de santé, compte tenu d'une longue histoire de mauvaise gestion des déchets. Des études médicales ont été menées, mais le débat social et politique est statique. En septembre 2014, le ministère italien de la Santé a tout simplement répété des déclarations antérieures selon lesquelles les taux croissants de cancer en Campanie sont dus à de mauvaises habitudes de vie. L'article éclaire la politisation des corps malades de la Campanie. Nous analysons trois pratiques d'action politique et de résistance qui utilisaient la subjectivisation des corps physiques et des maladies pour exposer les injustices environnementales qui affectent les communautés. Dans le voisinage de Pianura, Naples, les gens ont rassemblé des dossiers médicaux comme preuve pour un procès en «épidémies coupables». Dans le pays de Fires, dans la périphérie nord de Naples, des centaines de cartes postales contenant des photos d'enfants tués par des pathologies rares ont été envoyées au chef de l'État italien et au pape. Enfin, dans la ville d'Acerra, le sang d'un berger mourant est devenu un objet politique pour prouver l'exposition à la contamination par les dioxines dans cette zone. La politisation des maladi...

show abstract

Section: Biopower and The Politicization Of (Ill) Bodiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Biopower and The Politicization Of (Ill) Bodiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The politicization of ill bodies in Campania, Italy

Iengo

Armiero

2017

Journal of Political Ecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…A number of scholars are using a'sociology of diagnosis' conceptual framework to analyse the diagnosis of a health condition (Jutel 2009, Brown, Lyson et al 2011). These authors explain that diagnosis is not a classification tool in medicine determined by medical professionals only, instead, it is shaped by the larger social structure and various cultural and social factors.…”

Section: (Goldstein and Ozonoff 2009mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As noted by medical sociologists, giving a diagnosis of a disease or health condition is not only a medical classification, but a social diagnosis (Jutel 2009, Brown, Lyson et al 2011, Jutel and Nettleton 2011. Studies in developed countries show that diagnosis of ASD is a process of negotiation between clinical experiences, scientific evidence and families (Lenne and Waldby 2011).…”

Section: Hopes For the Future For Their Childrenmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…scientific discovery, professional resistance with discovery, inter-professional relationships) and organizational and institutional factors (Brown 1995). In relation to diagnosis, the social diagnosis approach analyses social forces which influence the clinical process of diagnosis, to gain a better understanding of the social framing of a health condition, power relations between lay and professionals, the lived experiences, and how medical authority is conferred and challenged (Jutel 2009, Brown, Lyson et al 2011, Jutel and Nettleton 2011. In the case of ASD, the diagnosis is not simple as giving the children label and treatment based on standard classifications and protocols.…”

Section: Chapter 1: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Understanding autism spectrum disorder in Hanoi, Vietnam

Ha¹

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is now recognised as a public health concern worldwide with the reported prevalence substantially increasing. However, the understanding of this condition in Vietnam and in other low and middle income countries is still very limited. This study aims to understand the socio-cultural construction of ASD in Hanoi, Vietnam, and the experiences of children living with ASD. This study attempts to achieve its aim through objectives of (1) exploring the meanings attached to and the representations of ASD within the social and cultural context of Vietnam, (2) describing services and social supports available as well as barriers preventing children with ASD and their parents accessing services, (3) describing the lived experience of parents of children with ASD, and (4) exploring the utility of using 'photovoice' to engage children with ASD and communicate their experiences.Informed by theoretical frameworks of social constructionism, critical medical anthropology and disability studies, I conceptualise ASD within a set of multi-level interactions between individuals, families, community and society. My fieldwork took from July 2011 to end of May 2012 in Hanoi,Vietnam. This study employed a range of methodologies of ethnography and participatory action research. These included participant observation, photovoice with nine children with ASD and six parents, and in-depth interviews with 27 parents and 17 key informants. In addition, I also conducted an online self-administered survey with 125 parents, and collected secondary data.This study describes various limitations in assessment and diagnosis of ASD in Vietnam. These include the lack of clinical guidance for assessment and monitoring the quality of assessment at clinics; a lack of developmental screening for young children; a rushed and perfunctory process for the assessment and diagnosis of children; and poor communication between health professionals in assessment teams, and between professionals and parents of children with ASD. These result in a lack of early identification, a pattern of overdiagnosis, and limited support for the children and their parents during assessment.Children with ASD and their families in Hanoi experience various forms of stigma and discrimination. Children with ASD are often treated as one homogenous group with stereotypes as inauspicious, useless, stupid, and dangerous people. They experience limited health care, education and social integration. These result from misunderstandings of this condition, and the structural exclusion of people with disability. Cultural expectations of parenthood and childhood, and iii | P a g e

show abstract