I recently had the pleasure of talking with the folks at the Norwegian ME Association for their (excellently produced) podcast series.
Arising from my new book, we discussed the medical stigma in which an illness is falsely characterised as ‘psychological’ — post-viral conditions such as ME and Long Covid, for example, but also many others.
I argue that medical opinion on these conditions is intertwined with our wider political and economic culture, in which human beings are valued solely on the basis of their ability to be ‘productive’ in simple financial terms. Even though Long Covid is a relatively new condition, history can be our guide in helping us to explain why Long Covid is considered, by some, to be such a challenging diagnosis.
Do have a listen here:
With thanks to all at Norges ME Forening, to host Margrethe Gustavsen, and to the production team at Rud Pedersen Public Affairs, especially Ann-Kathrin Årøen(COO & Senior Consultant).
(By the way, these days you can find me on Mastadon.)
Brian Hughes is an academic psychologist and university professor in Galway, Ireland, specialising in stress, health, and the application of psychology to social issues. He writes widely on the psychology of empiricism and of empirically disputable claims, especially as they pertain to science, health, medicine, and politics.