Well Enough Alone: A Cultural History of My Hypochondria

The hilarious first-person account of life as a hypochondriac-from the critically acclaimed author of Devil in the Details.

Jennifer Traig does not suffer from lupus, multiple sclerosis, Crohn's Disease, or muscular dystrophy. Nor does she have SUDS, the mysterious disorder that claims healthy young Asian men in their sleep. What she does have is hypochondria. In Well Enough Alone, Traig provides an uproariously funny inquiry into her ailment, as well as a well-researched history of the disorder. While chronicling her life as a hypochondriac and the minor conditions that helped to fuel her persistent self-diagnosis, she offers a literary tour of the disorder's past and present. And by the end, her journey leaves her more knowledgeable, a little less neurotic, and-one might say-healthier.

Jennifer Traig is the author of Devil in the Details: Scenes from an Obsessive Girlhood and a frequent contributor to The Forward and McSweeney’s. She holds a Ph.D. in Literature and resides in Berkeley, California.