Provide names of other journalists involved.
Claire Schoen, editorial consultant
List date(s) this work was published or aired.
1-Jul-11
Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
Our health is all over the news these days: whether it’s the contentious debate on American Health Policy, the latest study on cell phones and cancer, or advances in genetic testing that can pinpoint who’s at risk for which disease. This focus on health care motivates some people to eat right, exercise, and stay in good medical shape. But others grow to fear everything that could possibly go wrong with their body — and their resulting anxiety drives up the cost of health care for everyone. The half-hour radio documentary, “Living with Hypochondria: The Real Costs of Imagined Illness”, explores the psychological underpinnings of healthcare anxiety, its economic consequences, and what can be done to mitigate the problem.
Explain types of documents, data or Internet resources used. Were FOI or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
Several academic papers and medical studies on hypochondria and other unexplained medical syndromes; published books on the topic (“The Hypochondriac’s Guide to Life and Death”, “Worried Sick”), WebMd.
Explain types of human sources used.
As many hypochondriacs as I could find (given that a “true” hypochondriac may not recognize him or herself as such!); psychiatrists and psychologists who specialize in anxiety and hypochondria; primary care doctors who see the syndrome every day; other journalists and writers who’ve written on the topic; and of course, Woody Allen’s movies.
Results:
n/a
Follow-up (if any). Have you run a correction or clarification on the report or has anyone come forward to challenge its accuracy? If so, please explain.
n/a
Advice to other journalists planning a similar story or project.
Give yourself time to find the right people to interview, because the topic is not necessarily flattering to the participants, so they need to be comfortable talking about it publicly — and while the topic of hypochondria may be inherently entertaining and humorous, it’s important to be sensitive and empathetic in the delivery.