ABSTRACT
One of the most striking features of the journey from health to illness and back again to health is the nearly constant presence of uncertainty. What caused the problem? Is it serious? Is treatment necessary? Is a given diagnosis accurate? How long will recovery take? How effective is this treatment? These are but a handful of the questions that have likely demanded the attention of anyone in physical distress. Presumably, the best answers to such questions are provided by health professionals. Nonetheless, it is far from uncommon to observe these queries being directed to and answered by family, friends, and even strangers, few of whom have any well-founded idea of what they are talking about. Furthermore, it does not tax the imagination to assume that the practice of having laypeople reduce each other's illness-related uncertainty can have serious consequences. People may exacerbate a problem by persisting in behaviors condoned or encouraged by others; they may postpone treatment until it is too late, having been told by others that treatment is either hopeless or unnecessary; they may discontinue an effective therapy, impressed by the negative reactions of their friends; and so forth.
