Book review Women`s Health and Pandemic Crisis. Pramataroff-Hamburger V. & Neises-Rudolf M. (ed.) Springer 2024

Dr. med. Wolf Lütje, President DGPFG German Society for Psychosomatic OB/GYN published in „Ärztliche Psychotherapie und Psychosomatische Medizin“ 2024;19:199 (www.aertzliche-psychotherapie.de)

No, at first glance this is not a book that seems compellingly worth reading from the title alone: yet another book about the coronavirus – surely we’ve all learned our lessons by now? And in English, no less.

On closer inspection, however, it becomes clear to the reader that this book only addresses central issues of global health in all their facets by way of example. The result is a meta-level blueprint for overcoming future and unfortunately expected crises facing humanity. Whether war, climate, infections – there must be regional but also global answers to everything, that go far beyond biological phenomena.

In addition to the WHO, it is above all the FIGO (which will soon have a German president) and the ISPOG (also under German presidency) which, alongside the DGPFG, is seeking a holistic approach to health care and has found it in many ways.

To stay on topic: the vaccine is one thing, but without the associated disease and its holistic consideration in terms of meaning, well-being and relationship, there can be no health.

If there is a particularly important target group in this regard, it is women, who are likely to shape this century like never before and will continue to do so. 

This book takes a multi-layered approach to women: whether it is about mental health, touch, family planning, birth, attachment, stress, violence, trauma or death, many international authors competently engage with these issues.

It is important that ethics, the pitfalls of the digitalised information society, the psychological challenges for a healthcare system and the basic idea of the biopsychosocial perspective have also been included and round off the book.

We have the editors to thank for helping to make the topic of the 20th ISPOG Congress 2022 in Vienna on sustainability and for admonishing us to remain vigilant after surviving the crisis and to prepare ourselves for new challenges in a multi-faceted way.

The future belongs not only to women, but also to a global and holistic view of health and illness. 

As the saying goes: ‘Health is the ability to live with disorders’.

The book helps comprehensively to deal with the next major disorders even better – even if, in such a case, not everyone can be saved, but at least they can be better accompanied and cared for.