I thought this was a bit different from many articles on Long Covid. May require free registration https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/985983 I think similar things could be said about/would apply to ME/CFS Some extracts: --- "Isolation in long COVID comes in various forms and it's not primarily just that physical isolation," says Yochai Re'em, MD, a psychiatrist in private practice in New York City who has experienced long COVID and blogs about the condition for Psychology Today. "A different yet equally challenging type of isolation is the emotional isolation, where you need more emotional support, connection with other people who can appreciate what it is you are going through without putting their own needs and desires onto you — and that can be hard to find." --- It's hard to find in part because of what Re'em sees as a collective belief that anyone who feels bad should be able to get better by exercising, researching, or going to a doctor. "Society thinks you need to take some kind of action and usually that's a physical action," he says. "And that attitude is tremendously problematic in this illness because of the post-exertional malaise that people experience: When people exert themselves, their symptoms get worse. And so the action that people take can't be that traditional action that we're used to taking in our society." --- Long COVID patients often have their feelings invalidated not just by friends, loved ones, and extended family, but by health care providers. That can heighten feelings of isolation, particularly for people who live alone, says Jordan Anderson, DO, a neuropsychiatrist and assistant professor of psychiatry in the School of Medicine at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland. --- Twitter thread:
