Self-Medication and Society

<p>The question of recourse to self-medication arises at the intersection of two partly antagonistic discourses: that of the public authorities, who advocate the practice primarily for economic reasons, and that of health professionals, who condemn it for fear that it may pose a danger to health and dispossess the profession of expertise. This books examines the reality of self-medication in context and investigates the social treatment of the notion of autonomy ever present in the discourses promoting this practice. </p><p></p><p>Drawing on fieldwork conducted in France, the author examines the material, cognitive, symbolic and social dimensions of the recourse to self-medication, considering the motivations and practices of the subjects and what these reveal about their relationship with the medical institution, while addressing the question of open access to medicines – a subject of heated debate between the actors concerned on themes such as competence, knowledge and responsibility. </p><p></p><p>A rigorous analysis of the strategies adopted by individuals to manage the risks of medicines and increase their efficacy, <i>Self-Medication and Society</i> will appeal to sociologists and anthropologists with interests in health, illness, the body and medicine.</p> <p>Introduction </p><p></p><p>1. On the other side of the counter </p><p></p><p>2. Self-medication, between signs and symptoms</p><p></p><p>3. Cultural and practical reasons </p><p></p><p>4. Knowledge and competence </p><p></p><p>5. Risk management and the quest for efficacy </p><p></p><p>Conclusion </p><p></p><p>Bibliography</p>