How COVID-19 Brought Medical Gaslighting to the Forefront and Made Invisible Illness Visible: Lessons from the BIPOC Long COVID Study

Abstract

Back in March 2020 I became ill with COVID-19. It almost killed me. My journey with the illness is documented publicly and I am featured in New York Times, USA Today, Washington Post and People Magazine to name a few publications. Health Magazine named me one of seven African American women unsung heroes of COVID-19. Last year in 2021 I was invited to address President Biden’s COVID-19 Task Force Team. In the medical community, there is a pattern of treating people differently based on their gender, sexual orientation, age and disability status. COVID-19 shed light on the need for the medical community to shift to a modern outlook in the treatment of patients with invisible illnesses. In this chapter, I will discuss what is long COVID, findings from the BIPOC Long COVID Study, and how long COVID made invisible illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, chronic Lyme disease and lupus visible. Recommendations are given on long COVID recovery.

Work in Progress: Culture of Productivity—Multipositional Impacts on STEM Graduate Students

“…When the participant disclosed that they had PCOS in order to request an excused absence, their professors gaslighted them about the impact of their disability. Gaslighting refers to a covert form of emotional abuse that attempts to mislead the target of the abuse into questioning their own thoughts, perceptions, reality, and/or memories [25]- [27]. Medical gaslighting is more likely to be directed at women and people of color [27].…”

“…Gaslighting refers to a covert form of emotional abuse that attempts to mislead the target of the abuse into questioning their own thoughts, perceptions, reality, and/or memories [25]- [27]. Medical gaslighting is more likely to be directed at women and people of color [27]. The professors downplayed and discredited the participant's experience.…”