New diagnostic category covers exhaustion caused by modernity, haste, and eating lunch at desks
A Medical Case for the Long Lunch
PARIS — The French Health Ministry confirmed this week that “civilisational fatigue” has been added to the national health code as a recognised diagnostic category, allowing physicians to prescribe extended rest in rural settings, therapeutic meals lasting more than forty-five minutes, and a reduction in what the diagnostic criteria call “velocity of life,” all of which are reimbursable under the national health system at standard treatment rates.
Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jean-Louis Pausez said the category reflects “growing clinical evidence that the human organism is not designed for the pace at which contemporary society operates, a truth the French have suspected since approximately 1975 and which it has taken medicine this long to formally agree with.”
The Symptoms
Civilisational fatigue presents as: eating lunch in under twenty minutes, checking emails after 7 p.m., forgetting the name of wine you enjoyed the week before, and a general sensation that life is moving faster than can be meaningfully experienced. The diagnosis requires three of five symptoms, none of which excludes the possibility that the patient is simply very busy, which the diagnostic notes acknowledge and describe as “a complicating factor that is itself a symptom.”
General practitioner Dr. Anne Repos of Lyon said she has prescribed the new category fourteen times since its introduction. “I sent one patient to the Luberon for three weeks,” she said. “He returned tanned, slower, and with a considerable interest in lavender. His blood pressure was excellent. His emails were unread. He described this as the best health outcome of his adult life.”
International Reaction
The United Kingdom’s National Health Service reviewed the French diagnostic framework and issued a statement saying it was “monitoring developments.” The United States medical system noted the category did not have a CPT billing code and declined further comment. The French health authority confirmed prescriptions are valid for up to three weeks and may be extended if, upon return, the patient checks their email before finishing their coffee. This is considered a relapse. Treatment resumes.
SOURCE: https://bohiney.com
