The Age of Diagnosis

Revelatory. Slices through the contradictions that have tied me in knots. - CHRIS VAN TULLEKEN

From autism to allergies, ADHD to long Covid, more people are being labelled with medical conditions than ever before. But can a diagnosis do us more harm than good?

The boundaries between sickness and health are being redrawn. Mental health categories are shifting and expanding all the time, radically altering what we consider to be 'normal'. Genetic tests can now detect pathologies decades before people experience symptoms, and sometimes before they're even born. Increased health screening tends to draw more and more people into believing they are unwell.

An accurate diagnosis can bring greater understanding and, of course, improved treatment. However many diagnoses aren't as definitive as we think. In some cases, they risk turning healthy people into patients.

Drawing on the stories of real people, as well as decades of clinical practice and the latest research, Dr Suzanne O'Sullivan overturns long-held assumptions and reframes how we think about illness and health in The Age of Diagnosis.