Jonah McGarva: Long Covid - Politically invisibilized and medically gaslighted

Jonah McGarva is one of what will be millions of people around the globe with Long Covid. And many pandemic survivors that develop Long Covid are frustrated by their government’s lack of appropriate response.

Most government health leaders barely mention - or even warn the public - about Long Covid. This is known as political invisibilization. And it works by refusing to acknowledge an issue, or in this instance, a disease. It is reminiscent of the early years of the AIDS pandemic when politicians were silent about death by AIDS. This gave rise to the advocacy chant of “Silence = Death”.

 

The government’s motivation to invisibilize a disease may be based on ignorance or prejudice or to protect and hide their own errors and failings from the public. 

 

Government’s may also be motivated to invisibilize Long Covid to deny disability payments, or to protect corporate insurers from Long Covid claims. Government’s are also notoriously burdened by entrenched bureaucrats with allegiance to their careers and the status quo, not public health. 

 

Compounding the political invisibilization of Long Covid patients are physicians who dismiss physical symptoms as psychological or the catch all diagnosis of anxiety. This is known as medical gaslighting. It is the unacknowledged pandemic within our health care systems. 

 

Mix those systemic factors with some narcissistic and sociopathic personalities in both the political and medical systems and the result is a group of very sick and disabled people being medically and economically marginalized.

 

The good thing is that lots of physicians are experiencing Long Covid and that means they are also experiencing being gaslighted by their colleagues. This is known as ‘getting a taste of your own medicine’ and is the most valuable medical education any of these doctors will ever experience.

 

And as Long Covid patient Jonah McGarva recounts, many doctors need to learn this lesson.

 

Connect with Jonah McGarva

Twitter: @jonah_mcgarva

 

Jonah interviews:
CITY TV NEWS - Oct. 17th

VANCOUVER IS AWESOME - Web Article - Oct. 15th

GOFUNDME - Set up on Oct. 12th

UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY - Covid Corner - Oct. 7th

W5 - Season Premiere - Sep. 26th

CBC Web Article - Sep. 20th

CTV National News - Aug. 12th

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Scott Simpson: 

Counsellor + Patient Advocate + (former) Triathlete

I am a counsellor, patient advocate, and - before I became sick and disabled - a passionate triathlete. Work hard. Train hard. Rest hard.

I have been living with HIV since 1998. I was the first person living with HIV to compete at the triathlon world championships.

Thanks to research and access to medications, HIV is not a problem in my life.

I have been living with ME (myalgic encephalomyelitis) since 2012, and thanks in part to medical error, it is a big problem in my life.

Counseling / Research

I first became aware of the ubiquitousness of medical error during a decade of community based research working with the HIV Prevention Lab at Ryerson University, where I co-authored two research papers on a counseling intervention for people living with HIV, here and here. 

Patient participants would often report varying degrees of medical neglect, error and harms as part of their counseling sessions.

Patient Advocacy

I am co-founder of the ME patient advocacy non-profit Millions Missing Canada, and on the Executive Committee of the Interdisciplinary Canadian Collaborative Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Research Network.

I am also a patient advisor for Health Quality Ontario’s Patient and Family Advisory Council, and member of Patients for Patient Safety Canada.

Medical Error Interviews podcast and vidcast emerged to give voice to victims, witnesses and participants in this hidden epidemic so we can create change toward a safer health care system.

My golden retriever Gladys is a constant source of love and joy. I hope to be well enough again one day to race triathlons again. Or even shovel the snow off the sidewalk.