The Psychology of PCOS
The Psychology of PCOS combines cutting-edge psychological and social science research with compelling personal stories to provide a roadmap for researchers and mental health providers.
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) can cause a wide range of symptoms, both physical and psychological. PCOS can cause menstrual irregularities, infertility, insulin resistance, excess and male patterned body hair, and is strongly associated with depression and anxiety. PCOS affects everything from one’s self-conception and identity, to social relationships, intimacy and sexuality, to physical and mental health. Yet the literature has been largely silent regarding the personal and psychosocial experiences of those with PCOS.
Using clear and compelling language, the author promotes a wider understanding of PCOS, calls attention to areas of research need, offers insight to mental health providers whose clients suffer from PCOS, and aims to inspire more positive outcomes for individuals with PCOS.
Series Foreword
Preface: A Note to the Reader
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Why We Need a Psychological Science of PCOS and What This Book Does
- Chapter 1: Breaking the Psychological Silence: An Overview of PCOS
- Chapter 2: PCOS Stigma: One Diagnosis but Multiple Stigmas
- Chapter 3: Gendered Embodiment of PCOS
- Chapter 4: Social Support and Close Relationships in the PCOS Context
- Chapter 5: Psychological Risk and Growth in PCOS
- Chapter 6: Health Risks and Inadequate PCOS Healthcare Resources
- Chapter 7: A PCOS Call to Action: Interventions, Advocacy, and Psychological Science
Appendix A : Methodology
Appendix B: Suggested Reading List
References;
Index
About the Author
Stacey L. Williams, PhD, is a social-health psychologist and professor in the Department of Psychology, East Tennessee State University (ETSU). She directs the Social Issues and Relations Laboratory in which she and her students study stigma and health. She has published dozens of articles in this area and her research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health.
She teaches courses in topics related to diversity, gender and sexuality, and research methods and statistics. Currently she serves as the chair of the campus Institutional Review Board. Recent accomplishments include membership in the Leadership Institute for Women in Psychology (LIWP) and awards for both her research and equity and inclusion work: ETSU College of Arts and Sciences Faculty Research Award, Hayward Outstanding Psychology Faculty Award, Notable Woman Award, and the Patricia E. Robertson Diversity Leadership Award.
Prior to her professorship, she earned her PhD in psychology at Kent State University and completed a postdoctoral research fellowship in social environment and health at the Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan.
- APA Division 44 Distinguished Book Award
The Psychology of PCOS is a thorough examination of the symptoms of PCOS and their effects on the lives of those who live with the disorder. Dr. Williams clearly explains psychological research and theories to assist therapists who have clients with PCOS and to guide researchers to gaps in our understanding of psychosocial aspects of the syndrome. Individuals with PCOS, especially those who do not know others with the diagnosis, will appreciate reading excerpts from Williams’s extensive interviews and learning about her own experience.
—Joan C. Chrisler, PhD, Professor Emerita of Psychology, Connecticut College, New London, CT, United States, and Founding Editor, Women’s Reproductive Health
This exceptional, thought-provoking, and beautifully written book humanizes the lived experiences of people with PCOS. It moves PCOS into new avenues of scholarship by centering how we flourish and thrive with PCOS and create our own pathways to self-compassion, growth, healing, and community despite the challenges and complexities of the syndrome. It is the first book of its kind to integrate individual, societal, and community-level systems with the goal of creating tangible solutions for patients, health care providers, researchers, and PCOS allies to improve the lives of people with PCOS. I wholeheartedly recommend this book and believe that it will unite us in immeasurable ways.
—Kendall Soucie, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
This conversational and easy-to-read book fills a significant void in understanding the psychological impact of PCOS. Dr. Williams comprehensively discusses the scientific and social aspects of mental health associated with PCOS.
—Anuja Dokras, MD, PhD, Director, Penn Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Center, Penn Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States
Dr. Williams uses an intersectionality lens to examine the psychosocial experience of living with PCOS and unequivocally illustrates how societal expectations and misconceptions about gender and weight have adverse effects for people with PCOS. This brave book includes surprising anecdotes about the lived experience of people with PCOS that both educate and elicit empathy. It should be read by students of psychology, health care providers, researchers, and anyone interested in PCOS or gender-related stigma. Dr. Williams’s call to action will inspire researchers in psychology and other fields to explore important taboo research questions.
—Kirsten Oinonen, PhD, Registered Psychologist and Professor, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
The Psychology of PCOS: Building the Science and Breaking the Silence is an intriguing qualitative study that aims to increase awareness, intersectionality, and action in scientific research of PCOS. Rather than focusing on infertility and weight loss, as much PCOS literature does, this book focuses on stigma, shame, the inadequacy of research on PCOS, and, most notably, the often-overlooked subset of gender diverse PCOS patients. As the author states, it is a “manifesto” and a call to action for increased scientific study of a large and mostly misunderstood patient population that deals with substantial stigma in addition to myriad lifelong medical and psychological issues. Given the devastating effects PCOS has on the lives of both patients and the broader community, this book passionately and positively asserts a demand for advocacy and education and paves the way for an intensified psychological study of the syndrome.
—Gretchen Kubacky, PsyD, founder of PCOSwellness.com, member of the PCOS Challenge Health Advisory Board, and author of The PCOS Mood Cure: Your Guide to Ending the Emotional Roller Coaster
