The invisible kingdom: Reimagining chronic illness

Meghan O’Rourke’s 2022 autobiographical work, The Invisible Kingdom: Reimagining Chronic Illness, recounts her experience as a patient having survived and lived poorly understood chronic autoimmune disease that included cutaneous manifestations. Her story includes physician interviews with references, well detailed notes section, bibliography, index. Crafted the expertise of first-class journalist intended for medical lay audiences alike, Illness compellingly depicts desperation an ill no diagnosis to inculpate clear path toward wellness. account is impactful not because it rare, but so common. She exemplifies one many patients we care vague symptoms, rash, series nonspecific laboratory findings. Instructed moisturize skin manage stress, she felt abandoned by shortcomings our fast-paced clinical system. Through this narrative, O’Rourke raises ethical concerns weathered chronically ill, including inequities in access risks dubious, last-resort therapies. Difficult “invisible” illnesses, such O’Rourke’s, compound preexisting disparities marginalized face when seeking care. Although at times falls short fully engaging issue, outlier relative success, illustrates how even from position privilege, experiences exhaust finances, will power, extent remarkable literacy. This book challenge providers attend narratives, imagine beyond current scientific paradigms, catalyze advances understanding controversial phenomena. How do frame enigmatic, eruption diagnostic tools fail uncover etiology? What approach managing unknown, does society unwell system where untestable amounts untrue? Overall, supplication healthcare reconsider way which qualify evidence. For dermatologists, whose bread butter often diseases, must read sure change you think practice. None disclosed.