Book review: Authors of our own misfortune? The problems with psychogenic explanations for physical illnesses

"Authors of Our Own Misfortune? The Problems with Psychogenic Explanations for Physical Illnesses." Angela Kennedy. Createspace. September 2012. --- Psychogenic explanations for illnesses still appear frequently within medical and academic literature, in “common sense” public discourses, and in medical diagnoses of patients. But how plausible are these explanations? Authors of our Own Misfortune? proposes that psychogenic explanations for physical illnesses are subject to a complex mix of confusing concepts, accompanied by certain moralistic and ideological assumptions about people and their illnesses. The strength of the book lies in its detailed cataloguing of a great deal of evidence around ME/CFS and psychogenic diagnoses, but Sally Brown feels that the author’s arguments could have been strengthened had a more detached and academic style been adopted.