Many of us have heard of Long COVID, but few of us understand the depth and breadth of the diagnosis or the history leading up to it. We talk with medical anthropologist Emily Mendenhall about her book on invisible illnesses and what happens when medical symptoms are hard to explain. We discuss why patients are dismissed and how the history of hysteria, neurasthenia, and chronic fatigue syndrome all contribute to Long COVID denialism.
Host: Alexis Pedrick
Executive Producer: Mariel Carr
Senior Producer: Rigoberto Hernandez
Sound Design: Seth Samuel
Fact-Checking: Alexandra Atiya
Music by Blue Dot Sessions
Mendenhall, Emily. Invisible Illnesses: A History, from Hysteria to Long COVID. University of California Press: 2026.