My Imaginary Illness: A Journey into Uncertainty and Prejudice in Medical Diagnosis

At age twenty-one, Chloe Atkins began suffering from a mysterious illness, the symptoms of which rapidly worsened. Paralyzed for months at a time, she frequently required intubation and life support. She eventually became quadriplegic, dependent both on a wheelchair and on health professionals who refused to believe there was anything physically wrong with her. When test after test returned inconclusive results, Atkins's doctors pronounced her symptoms psychosomatic. Atkins was told not only that she was going to die but also that this was her own fault - they concluded she was so emotionally deranged that she was willing her own death. My imaginary illness is the compelling story of Atkins's decades-long battle with a disease deemed imaginary, her immersion in the world of psychotherapy, and her excruciating physical and emotional journey back to wellness.