PRACTICES of Self-Help and Self-Optimization combined with the expectation of positive thinking belong to the very core of US culture and US ideology. This edition explores the co-relation between self-help and dis/ability. In addition to a historical overview, case studies explore issues such as biomedicalization, inspiration porn, the addicted body, self-care and healing, and dystopian progress. Media and genres introduced include TV serials, novels, manifestoes, the 'Terminal Teenager Romance' and 'Addiction Memoirs.'