How long Covid exposes a key problem with Western medicine

Expert argues that our simplistic and one-dimensional view of illness is unsustainable

Medical and patient
(Image credit: Bartosz Siedlik/AFP via Getty Images)

Psychiatry expert Alastair Santhouse of King's College London on the need for urgent rethink about the interface between body and mind

As I walked her up the flight of stairs to my clinic room, Victoria* barely engaged with my small talk. I glanced back at her. Above her mask, she looked strained, miserable, and I saw that her reticence was because she was ready to burst into tears. I thought one more question might have tipped her over the edge, so we continued in silence until we reached the sanctuary of the outpatient room.

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