Short 🧵on anxiety in #LongCovid
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People with LC get anxious not bec they’re imagining the illness but because:

1) They’re disbelieved about their symptoms by services, employers & society
2) No known treatment
3) Unknown prognosis
4) Little support
5) Job & financial worry
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6) Ability to care & do daily duties affected
7) Guilt & regret - “what could I’ve done differently to avoid this”?
8) Shame- being constantly told to “pull it together”, “be positive”, “be grateful”, “don’t think about it” etc
9) Accusations of malingering
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10) Being labelled with “anxiety” and the implicit notion of “all in your head”
11) All this leads to stigma and avoidance of talking about it and seeking support & services so the vicious cycle continues.

This is not new & been faced by other neglected chronic conditions.
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It’s time to change that. People with conditions that medicine & science don’t understand well are not “making a fuss”. Not fitting neatly into categories & pathways is not their fault. Anxiety is only natural if you’re in that position and is secondary rather than primary.
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