The Anatomy of Deception: Conspiracy Theories, Distrust, and Public Health in America

by Sara E. Gorman

Overview

Veteran health writer Sara Gorman compellingly argues that the backbone of medical conspiracy theories is not misinformation but lack of trust—in our hospitals and in our democracy writ large.

In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, trust in the healthcare system seems to be at an all-time low. Conspiracy theories are now mainstream, and distrust of government health agencies is common among private citizens. Yet many of those same individuals still profess trust in their doctors. What, then, is driving the general mistrust in medicine, and how can the public's faith be restored?

The Anatomy of Deception investigates the cause behind this seeming uptick in distrust by tracing the unexpected connection between medical mistrust and the move toward far right ideology in the United States. Drawing on personal qualitative research and interviews, health writer and expert Sara Gorman challenges traditional concepts of medical mistrust and argues that the loss of institutional trust in American health care signals a larger breakdown in democracy as a whole. In six short chapters, Gorman advances the idea of medical mistrust not as a byproduct of personal or historical abuses but as a direct result of bias, miscommunication, and lack of access that has slowly eroded trust in the public health system over time. She argues that we can build back trust in medicine through investments in health equity as a first step towards healing the schisms present in modern American society.

Wide-ranging yet incisive, The Anatomy of Deception uncovers the root of medical mistrust in America and how we can regain trust in the systems and values central to our democracy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780197678121
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	09/03/2024
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 5.80(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Sara Gorman, PhD, MPH, is a public health expert and author based in New York. She has written extensively about misinformation, science denial, and behavioral science. Her work has appeared in TIME, The New Yorker, Science, Scientific American, Psychology Today, The Atlantic, New York Magazine, and NPR, among others. Sara's first book, Denying to the Grave: Why We Ignore the Facts That Will Save Us, was published by Oxford University Press in 2016, and a revised edition was released in 2021. Sara is also CEO of Critica, whose mission is to develop new methods of advancing public acceptance of scientific evidence.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1: "Above All, I Trust my Doctor": Trust, Distrust, and Medical Decision-Making

Chapter 2: "Othered" Bodies: Medical Mistrust in Black and Latinx Communities

Chapter 3: The Unbearable Mundaneness of Conspiracy Theories

Chapter 4: Heartbreak and Outrage: The Response to COVID-19

Chapter 5: Trust and Well-Being at the Center of Democracy

Chapter 6: Symptoms of Mistrust and What to Do about Them

Conclusion: Where Do We Go From Here?

Editorial Reviews

"Many of our contemporary public health problems stem from a lack of trust. But where did this lack of trust come from? In this engaging study, Sara Gorman attempts to trace the roots of this distrust to reveal its potential causes, consequences, and solutions. This is a well-written and engaging read for anyone interested in medical mistrust and public health." — Joseph Uscinski, University of Miami, co-author of American Conspiracy Theories (Oxford, 2014)

"In The Anatomy of Deception, Sara Gorman unravels the complex interplay between medical mistrust, misinformation, and the fraying threads of our democratic society. Gorman's insightful analysis, enriched by compelling narratives and robust research, confronts the stark realities of healthcare disparities and their downstream impacts on trust in healthcare and public health. This book is an urgent call to action, revealing how we can repair our healthcare system and, in turn, restore trust in public health, our government, and our democracy. A crucial read for anyone invested in the future of public health and societal well-being." — Celine Gounder, Editor-at-Large for Public Health at KFF Health News and a member of the Biden-Harris Transition COVID Advisory Board

"While the human capacity to prevent or cure dangerous illnesses has never been so sophisticated, public trust in the healthcare system has been declining for decades. How do medical mistrust and conspiracy theories originate, and what are the implications for democracy and public health? In this well researched book, Sara Gorman provides compelling answers to these important questions." — Jan-Willem van Prooijen, VU Amsterdam

"Gorman's undeniable skill in truly listening with empathy results in a beautiful if brutal book on the lived experience of healthcare in America. For anyone interested in the rise of skepticism, distrust, and conspiracy in medicine and public health, this book is a must-read." — Claire Wardle, PhD, Brown University School of Public Health

"Author Sara Gorman presents a powerful investigation into the roots of the trust crisis in the US, fueling a diaspora of dissenters migrating to alternative information. Her conclusion is that the biggest driver of distrust and dissent stems from a crisis in access to health. A timely and important read that begs an urgent response." — Professor Heidi Larson, Anthropologist and author of Stuck: How Vaccine Rumors Start—and Why They Don't Go Away

"Equal parts tightly focused and wide ranging, tackling many related issues of our age with expert research and highly readable storytelling...Gorman not only helps readers understand the grave mistakes of the past; she also offers suggestions to find a path forward. A timely, significant examination of how Covid-19 affected many American systems, from health care to government." — Kirkus

"The book is based on extensive research, including numerous interviews and focus groups, and judicious use of prior research. Gorman's nuanced approach draws attention to the importance of narratives, ambivalence, information environments, difficulties in accessing high-quality information, crises of despair, and the threat of entrenched mistrust to democracy." — M. D. Lagerwey, CHOICE

From the Publisher

★ 2024-05-29
An in-depth study of medical mistrust in post-pandemic America.

Gorman, a public health expert and author ofDenying to the Grave, uses interviews she conducted with subjects from a range of backgrounds to show how medical mistrust and belief in conspiracy theories connect to the current political climate, as well as how the Covid-19 pandemic influenced Americans’ lack of confidence in the health care system and the government’s ability to care for its people. Though the author focuses on the current pandemic era, she makes relevant arguments about how our current situation has been building through disasters like the 2008 financial crisis, the AIDS epidemic, and ongoing attacks on funding for social services in the U.S. “The loss of trust in the healthcare system is not independent of the loss of trust in other prominent institutions of our democracy—everything is in fact connected,” writes Gorman. She also examines how egregious experiments of the past, including but not limited to the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, have further alienated Black Americans, though she argues that present-day systemic racism is an even deadlier deterrent for many people of color in seeking health care. In that way, Gorman’s work is equal parts tightly focused and wide ranging, tackling many related issues of our age with expert research and highly readable storytelling. “It feels as though every event in the United States is inevitably shrouded in a dark cloud of distrust and conspiracy theories,” she writes, “and sometimes that smog is so thick and so opaque that we feel absolutely lost in looking for a clear path forward.” Throughout the book, Gorman not only helps readers understand the grave mistakes of the past; she also offers suggestions to find a path forward.

A timely, significant examination of how Covid-19 affected many American systems, from health care to government.

Kirkus Reviews