The Age Of Diagnosis By Suzanne O’Sullivan

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 & health are being redrawn. Mental health categories are shifting all the time, radically altering what we consider to be ‘normal’. Genetic tests can now detect pathologies decades before people experience symptoms, & sometimes before they’re even born. Increased health screening draws more & more people into believing they are unwell. An accurate diagnosis can bring greater understanding & of course improved treatment. But 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 & the latest medical research, Dr Suzanne O’Sullivan overturns long held assumptions & reframes how we think about health.