Seductive Delusions: How Everyday People Catch STDs

by Jill Grimes

Overview

Anyone can catch a sexually transmitted disease. STDs are widespread in all walks of life, regardless of gender, race, social status, or education. Seduced into complacency by the notion that "it can’t happen to me," many sexually active teens and young adults are stunned when they are diagnosed with an STD.

To drive home the risks and realities of unprotected sex, Dr. Jill Grimes narrates real-life stories of young people infected with STDs. The accounts of these young men and women, and their exam-room conversations with their doctors, evoke both the physical symptoms and the emotional reactions that can accompany infection.

Dr. Grimes introduces each disease with a pair of stories that capture the distinct experiences of a man and a woman, in the process allowing readers to identify and empathize with such patients. The stories are followed by an information section that provides medical facts and answers to frequently asked questions about symptoms, treatment, and prevention.

Whether reading the book from cover to cover or jumping directly to a specific disease, readers will relate to the dramatic stories while learning medically reliable information to help them make decisions about life and love.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reported that one in four teenage girls in the United States has a sexually transmitted disease. Seductive Delusions reveals what physicians across America see every day. Anyone who is sexually active is at risk and needs to read this book.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780801895326
Publisher:	Johns Hopkins University Press
Publication date:	05/01/2010
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	280
File size:	2 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Jill Grimes, M.D., is a practicing physician at West Lake Family Practice who has worked at the University of Texas Health Services in Austin, Texas. She is also a clinical faculty member at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

What People are Saying About This

Robert E. Rakel

Anyone who is sexually active is at risk of contracting an STD. By sharing these very real experiences of people you and I meet every day, Dr. Grimes shows how everyday people can contract one of these preventable diseases. Everyone, including physicians, can learn from the stories in this book.

— Robert E. Rakel, M.D., Baylor College of Medicine

Ellen Friedrichs

Dr. Jill Grimes has found an innovative way to connect with young people. By telling the stories of everyday people, she speaks to a sizeable population who assumes that because they don’t fall into a traditionally defined 'risk' group, they are not at risk for STDs.

— Ellen Friedrichs, sexedvice.com

Diane F. Clark

From Luke to Liz, from Meredith to Mitch, the people in this book could be anyone you know—including you. Because you like them and identify with them, you begin to believe, for real, that you, too, might get an STD and suffer the consequences. Every young person who is having sex or thinking about having sex should read this book.

— Diane F. Clark, R.N., Family Life Educator, Chesterfield County, Virginia

Patty Amidon

[My] students reported that the stories of people like them made sexually transmitted diseases seem more real and the stories stuck with them much better than hearing just facts and stats

— Patty Amidon, Coordinator of Health & Peer Education, Alfred State College

Ashley Wietsma

What do teenagers, soccer moms, CEOs, and medical students have in common? Each is at risk of contracting an STD. Seductive Delusions illustrates the stories behind sexually transmitted disease statistics, giving faces and emotions to these contagious infections. Don't be surprised if you find yourself thinking, 'That sounds like me!' Dr. Grimes gives us the much needed reality check and the necessary information to prevent us from becoming a character in Seductive Delusions.

— Ashley Wietsma, writer of the Johns Hopkins Newsletter column "Orgasmic Chemistry"

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Ameeta E Singh, BMBS, MSc (University of Alberta)
Description: An American family physician aims to teach about STDs through storytelling in this book. It targets all sexually active individuals, particularly young people, but it contains sufficient information and references to reputable web sites and other sources that it would be a great way for students in the health professions to learn the basics of STDs.
Purpose: The author aims to show through stories that no age, social class, gender, or race is immune to STDs. The book provides information about disease transmission, manifestations, treatment, and ways to prevent further spread through condom use and behavior modification. The unique way of presenting the cases, which are loosely based on the author's clinical practice, makes the book easy to read and novel in this field.
Audience: The target audience is mainly young (adolescent to thirties), sexually active, heterosexual persons. While some of the frequently asked questions address issues relevant for gay/bisexual persons, this area is largely beyond the scope of this book. It contains sufficient detail and references that it would be useful to students in health professions who wish to learn about STDs and how to approach counseling individuals with STDs.
Features: The book is divided into sections by specific STD. Within each section are two stories, one with a male and a one with a female character to allow readers to identify with their own gender. A short chapter follows with facts and frequently asked questions about the disease and references to reputable American web sites for further information. While some of the recommendations may not apply to non-American settings, the book nevertheless provides excellent information about STDs and hepatitis C. The stories are largely about young heterosexual persons, but much of the information also applies to individuals engaging in gay or bisexual relationships.
Assessment: The unique style of this book is likely to gain the attention and interest of the target audience. As the author notes in the preface, "Stories are far more powerful than statistics." Certainly this is a novel approach and I will wholeheartedly recommend this book to patients and students in health professions wishing to get a foundation in STDs.

Doody's Review Service

This is [a book] we whole-heartedly recommend for adolescents, their parents and teachers.

Parenting Press

Highly recommended.

PEP Talk - Linda Carlson

[Grimes] enthralls us with gripping tales of real people facing illness and tragedy. And the kick comes with how she wisely brings the reader to be motivated to avoid the infectious danger that is truly out there. (I'm getting copies for my kids.)... SHOULD be a required textbook for all High School health classes.

National Association of Medical Communicators - Richard P. Holm

I would highly recommend this book to all sexually active young people. It is eye-opening and disturbing in the right sort of way.

www.getbetterhealth.com

Read the book from cover to cover... knowledge is power.

Healthbolt.net

While probably not recreational reading, the book is a good gift for the teen in your life that just might be contemplating getting into a relationship (sexual or not).

Sacramento Book Review

Highly recommended.

— Linda Carlson

PEP Talk

[Grimes] enthralls us with gripping tales of real people facing illness and tragedy. And the kick comes with how she wisely brings the reader to be motivated to avoid the infectious danger that is truly out there. (I'm getting copies for my kids.)... SHOULD be a required textbook for all High School health classes.

— Richard P. Holm, MD

National Association of Medical Communicators