Monika Pietrzak-Franger, “Long Covid and ME/CFS: When the Doctor Does Not Believe You”, for UoVie research magazine “Rudolphina”

Under the hashtag #Frauenticket, thousands of women are sharing their experiences of not being taken seriously by their doctors. In a guest article for research magazine “Rudolphina” (University of Vienna), Monika Pietrzak-Franger explains why patients suffering from Long Covid and other chronic illnesses often face multiple forms of stigma.

Long Covid and ME/CFS are long-term conditions with poorly understood mechanisms that cannot simply be treated with painkillers. They are multisystemic, affect various corporeal areas and have a variety of symptoms. This means that they can manifest differently in different people. Their organic/biological causes are not easy to pin down. This makes these ailments susceptible to psychologisation – a tendency to regard them as psychological or psychosomatic. In such cases, the burden of proof lies with the ill person. Since psychological disorders continue to be stigmatised in our society, Long Covid and ME/CFS are stigmatised as well.

Read the full article here: Long Covid and ME/CFS: When the Doctor Doesn’t Believe You (univie.ac.at)