Seductive Delusions: How Everyday People Catch STDs

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.

The Johns Hopkins University Press

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.

Doody Review Services

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.

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.