Diagnosis isn't what it seems. It is usually treated as a label, arrived at by professionals, to explain a problem and to point to treatment. This view of diagnosis fits "the medical model." Authors in this book view diagnosis as a process, not a label. Diagnosis involves a negotiation of power relationships as well as of professional accountability. The chapters reveal how today's professionals and non-professionals use diagnosis to explain medical problems and also to explore how a diagnosis affects the identities of those diagnosed. In addition, some chapters show how diagnostic reasoning...

Diagnosis isn't what it seems. It is usually treated as a label, arrived at by professionals, to explain a problem and to point to treatment. This view of diagnosis fits "the medical model." Authors in this book view diagnosis as a process, not a label. Diagnosis involves a negotiation of power relationships as well as of professional accountability. The chapters reveal how today's professionals and non-professionals use diagnosis to explain medical problems and also to explore how a diagnosis affects the identities of those diagnosed. In addition, some chapters show how diagnostic reasoning...