When the Body Says No: The Cost of Hidden Stress

The complexity of the human body necessitates medical specializations. What is a risk, according to Maté, of physicians’ narrow focus on the physical elements of a patient, in terms of understanding disease onset and treatment?

What does the disrupted HPA axis functioning in Holocaust survivors’ adult children suggest about the generational role of inherited tendencies toward anxiety? Does Maté suggest that this is a function of “nature,” “nurture,” or some combination of both?

Maté stresses a biosocial disease model in terms of disease, whereby an individuals’ lived experience acts in conjunction with their genetics. In terms of which of these elements has the greatest impact, does Maté believe biology to be more influential, or lived experience? Justify your answer using textual evidence.

How does the presence of the plaques and tangles characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease in the brains of healthy individuals who did not develop Alzheimer’s problematize the purely genetic model of the disorder’s onset? Through what means does the author support these claims?

Maté claims in Chapter 1 that it was an oversight of Mary’s treating physicians to treat only her physical symptoms. Is it reasonable or realistic to expect all specialists to gather information on patients’ lived experiences? Why or why not? Justify your answer using textual evidence.

How is the disease process of rheumatoid arthritis (where the body’s antibodies attack the self, rather than an external pathogen) symbolic of the maladaptive emotional coping strategies often present in people with the condition?

Maté implicates social and cultural factors in contributing to chronic stress. In his view, how do factors such as poverty, systemic discrimination, and other social challenges contribute to chronic stress and disease? Support your response with evidence from the text.

In Maté’s view, why is exclusively optimistic thinking a maladaptive coping strategy? How could it contribute to disease under his model?