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From Medscape (widely read by health professionals):

"What Not to Say to People With Complex Chronic Illness"

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/what-not-say-people-complex-chronic-illness-2025a10006ft
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Medscape Medical News What Not to Say to People With Complex Chronic Illness Miriam E. Tucker March 18, 2025 1 25 Add to Email Alerts For people with complex chronic diseases such as long COVID, myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), and dysautonomia, a clinician’s inadvertently hurtful language can compound suffering and derail effective communication. photo of Dr Svetlana Blitschteyn Svetlana Blitshteyn, MD To address this, Svetlana Blitshteyn, MD, a neurologist who is the director of Dysautonomia Clinic at Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Buffalo, and Nancy J. Smyth, PhD, professor and former dean at the School of Social Work, University at Buffalo, both in Buffalo, New York, co-authored a paper entitled Language Matters: What Not to Say to Patients with Long COVID, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and Other Complex Chronic Disorders. In it, they provided a table of 16 “never words” that clinicians should avoid saying to patients, explanations of why the phrases are problematic, and proposed alternatives for more effective and empathetic communication.

What Not to Say to People With Complex Chronic Illness

Language matters when interacting with patients who have conditions such as long COVID, myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, and dysautonomia.
Miriam E. Tucker (Medscape)
@MECFS group @longcovid group
Tom Kindlon
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“For people with complex chronic diseases such as long COVID, myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), and dysautonomia, a clinician’s inadvertently hurtful language can compound suffering and derail effective communication.”

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Tom Kindlon
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“Who is the target audience for the paper?

Physicians of all specialties and other healthcare practitioners, such as psychologists, physical therapists, social workers, nutritionists, and others.”

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Tom Kindlon
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“We focus on common phrases that clinicians often tell patients, but which can be nonproductive, inappropriate, and frankly, damaging to the physician-patient relationship.”

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Tom Kindlon
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“Clinicians might say to a person with a hidden illness, “You don’t look sick.” We explain that a patient can feel very sick despite looking healthy. Instead, we simply recommend refraining from commenting on a person’s appearance.”

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