Based on the paper “Devil’s Bait” by Leslie Jamison the question at issue that was raised is, in the context of mental or physical illness, is it possible for an outsider free of the illness to fully empathize with the victim, or just sympathize with them? If not, what factors limit an outsider’s ability to empathize? The first source found that helps answer this question is “The Challenge of Morgellons Disease” by Caroline S. Koblenzer. This is from the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, and addresses the issue with a more medical point of view. This source provides an overview of what Morgellons patients deal with; feelings of bugs or parasites under the skin crawling and biting, fibers coming out of their skin, and visible sores on many of their bodies from where they try to dig out the “bugs”, fibers, or anything else they believe is coming from their skin. The source makes it clear that many of these patients are very anxious and are just on a search for answers. Many doctors do not believe them, so they go from doctor to doctor hoping just one will understand and believe what they’re saying. According to Koblenzer the patients “‘create’ a ‘cause’ for their symptoms, which makes logical sense to them” (Koblenzer). This often results in them not believing that there is something psychologically wrong with them. They often will not accept any explanation that does not directly correlate to what they believe – that they have “things” and “fibers” inside of their bodies that are causing them to suffer. This source addresses the importance of medical doctors understanding and empathizing with the patient. It stresses that the most important thing is to understand that the patient is in fact feeling those sensations whether the doctor can find an explanation for them or not. This allows them to understand the struggle of the patient even without an outright physical diagnosis. It also allows them to better find ways to refer them to a psychiatrist or some other form of treatment. If the doctor understands that what the person is saying is true, they can find a way to convince the patient that some other form of treatment will be most effective (Koblenzer). This source helps answer the question at issue because not only does it address the overall disease of Morgellons, it emphasizes the importance of understanding the patient and empathizing with them even if it is very difficult to believe what they are saying.

The second source is “Empathic Foundations of Clinical Knowledge” by Nancy Nyquist Potter. This comes from The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy and Psychiatry and addresses the question with a more psychological perspective. Potter relates empathy to morality in this piece of writing. She states that “the inner world – and the material, lived experiences – of others can be puzzling, elusive, or very difficult to grasp” (Potter 2). A main point of this paper is that doctors often view their patients as just their diagnosis, not as a full individual person. They can sometimes have a tendency to lump together patients with similar diagnoses and do not take into account how the mental disorder affects each individual personally. Empathy from the clinician plays an important role in understanding why others may be feeling certain symptoms. According to Potter it is important for clinicians to use empathy to sort of take the place of their patient and view their experience through the patient’s point of view. Another important thing is that the doctor must have accurate knowledge of the patient’s illness so they can help them most effectively. Being educated about the illness helps the doctor see how various treatments and therapies may help that specific patient. Having knowledge of what they are going through and being able to empathize with the patient will also allow the doctor to form a better relationship with them which may help the patient feel understood and stop fighting what the doctor says if it does not match exactly what they would like to hear. In addition, the clinician must be able to understand what the patient does to cope with their symptoms and suffering and how that may factor into treatment plans. This source effectively aids in answering the question at issue since it deeply addresses the importance of a doctor having empathy.

Works Cited

“The Challenge of Morgellons Disease.” Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, Mosby, 2006, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190962206012187?via=ihub.

Jamison, Leslie. “Devil’s Bait.” The Empathy Exams, pp. 27–56.

Potter, Nancy Nyquist. “Empathic Foundations of Clinical Knowledge.” Oxfordhandbooks.com, Oxford Handbooks Online, Sept. 2013, www.oxfordhandbooks.com.ezp.lib.rochester.edu/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199579563.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780199579563-e-021?print=pdf.