Silenced: Invisible Illness and Ambiguous Loss
Type: Call for Publications
Date: June 17, 2016
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Subject Fields: Communication, Health and Health Care
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
- Deadline for chapter proposals (approx. 500 words excluding citations) June 15, 2016. Submissions should adhere to APA Style created in MSWord or RTF.
- Include a cover page with all of the authors' contact information, key terms, and a short c.v. for each author.
- Submit via email to keshamorantwilliams@gmail.com with Invisible Illness Proposal in the subject line.
- (If selected) your chapter submissions must be original works of 3000-4000 words, including references.
Living
with or caring for someone who is living with an invisible illness can
be a challenging experience. “In the absence of definitive medical tests
for some invisible illnesses…patients fight to be taken at their
word—to have doctors, friends, and family believe that they’re reliable
narrators of their own experiences,” Hester, 2015, para 8. This means
that in addition to managing the disease and illness experience, the ill
person is at times asked to “prove” that he or she is in fact ill. In
fear of being stigmatized or rejected some people are reluctant to share
their health narrative even among those who are aware of their illness.
The complexities of an invisible illness can leave the patient and
their caregivers exhausted, stressed and misunderstood. Patients
expressed frustration surrounding the delegitimization of their
experiences which often leads to feelings of isolation; while caregivers
expressed increased level of stress and a decrease in the quality of
their own life and health.
The purpose of this edited volume is to
provide a collection of stories based on the standpoint of the
storyteller and is used to shift individual experiences into shared
experiences. Stories can also be used as a means of coping with the
changes presented throughout the illness experience. “People tell
stories in order to revise their self-understanding” (Frank, 2012, p.37)
and as a means of expressing their illness narrative. In other words,
it is empowering for a person to have the resources to tell their own
illness story just for the sake of telling their story (Frank, 2012). Editor
is seeking original submissions from those living with or offering
social support (family/ caregivers) for someone living with an invisible
illness. Your proposal/chapter should provide some definition of the
chronic illness; however the main focus must offer a connection between
the illness experience and ______________.
| Faith/Religion Interpersonal Relationships (Parenting, Siblings, Friends, Romantic Partners) Social Interactions Self-Care Isolation Cultural Beliefs/Behaviors | Identity Body Image Depression/Mental Health Social Support Caregiver Perspective Career/Employment | Activism Legislation Artistic Expression/Healing Arts Reproduction Travel/Vacations Other valuable topics! |