From Hysteria to Long COVID: Invisible Illnesses

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. Credits Host: Alexis Pedrick Executive Producer: Mariel Carr Senior Producer: Rigoberto Hernandez Sound Design: Seth Samuel Fact-Checking: Alexandra Atiya Music by Blue Dot Sessions Resource List Mendenhall, Emily. Invisible Illnesses: A History, from Hysteria to Long COVID. University of California Press: 2026.