Bay Area Lyme Spotlights Series
Medical skepticism isn’t just cruel, it’s physically, mentally, and emotionally harmful.
When Justin Timberlake revealed his Lyme disease after weeks of criticism for low-energy performances during his recent tour, the Internet did what the Internet does: It immediately questioned whether he was telling the truth.
The skepticism was rife and merciless. Reddit threads quickly surfaced with accusations that he was making excuses, faking illness, or using Lyme as a convenient cover story. “There must be something else going on,” people assumed. “Chronic Lyme isn’t a thing,” they said.
While it’s almost expected to see anonymous Internet commenters take aim at a major celebrity going through a low point, for the millions of Americans living with Lyme disease, Timberlake’s experience is not surprising at all.