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In the March Editorial, The Lancet stated that “Because of long COVID's [also known as post-COVID-19 condition] diverse symptomatology, reliance on self-reported symptoms, and a lack of diagnostic tests and consensus definition, many patients struggle to obtain a definitive diagnosis. As a result, long COVID is often easily dismissed as a psychosomatic condition. Given what we now know about the effects of long COVID and its biological basis, it must be taken seriously.”1 Although this was surely not the intention, this statement is deeply offensive. Why would any clinician dismiss patients whose bodily symptoms are caused or worsened by psychological factors but do their best to help those with similarly severe symptoms that are a direct result of infective, inflammatory, or metabolic abnormalities? It is difficult to think of any serious illness in which symptoms and disability could not be exacerbated by psychological factors or social adversity (or both). The Editorial expressed concern about the “excruciatingly slow” progress in providing proper clinical services for people with prolonged ill health following COVID-19 infection. There is no chance of decent care for this heterogeneous group of patients if psychosocial factors are not taken seriously when considering differential diagnoses, clinical formulation, and appropriately individualised management plans.

linical services for people with prolonged ill health following COVID-19 infection. There is no chance of decent care for this heterogeneous group of patients if psychosocial factors are not taken seriously when considering differential diagnoses, clinical formulation, and appropriately individualised management plans. The Lancet's careless discussion of psychosomatic conditions mirrors disrespectful language that can be encountered in medical, surgical, and even psychiatric clinics throughout the UK. The Editors could make amends by using their writing skills to try to improve doctor–patient communication about biological, psychological, and social influences on long COVID and essentially every other serious human illness.