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Former NCAA swim captain warns Virginia elections could decide future of women’s sports

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A former NCAA swim captain from Virginia who has alleged retaliation by university officials after objecting to a transgender student joining her team said she is «100%» concerned about the results of the upcoming statewide elections and the impact they could have on women in sports.

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Former Roanoke College swimmer Lily Mullens spoke to Fox News Digital ahead of Virginia’s upcoming elections about her experience raising concerns with her college about a transgender classmate, who was born a biological male, joining the school’s female collegiate swim team. 

The concerns about the matter fell on deaf ears and were brushed aside by college administrators, Mullens said, but she noted that Republican officials in the state came to her and her teammates’ defense.

‘NUDE MEN IN LOCKER ROOMS’: EARLE-SEARS BLASTS SPANBERGER OVER TRANSGENDER LOCKER ROOM STANCE IN HEATED DEBATE

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Ex-NCAA swim captain Lily Mullens (center) says she is «100%» concerned about what the upcoming statewide election in Virginia could mean for women’s sports. (Kristen Zeis/Anna Moneymaker via Getty Images; ICONS)

«Gov. Youngkin had reached out to the captains and I personally and asked how we were and how things kind of played out. And that was such a huge thing, because not even the president of my school was able to do so,» Mullens told Fox News Digital. «Seeing somebody who’s the leader of an entire state do that and then not have my school president, who’s only overseeing 2,000 people … it’s hard to describe. I was so shocked, and I was grateful at the same time.»

The state of Virginia is gearing up for several consequential statewide elections later this year, including a race for the governor’s seat and for attorney general. Incumbent Gov. Glenn Youngkin has reached his term limit, so Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears was handed the baton to keep the governor’s mansion Republican. 

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She is facing off against former Rep. Abigail Spanberger. 

Current Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares is also up for re-election and is being challenged by Democrat Jay Jones, who is dealing with the fallout from resurfaced text messages showing him wishing death upon a Republican colleague.

Earlier this year, Miyares said he found reasonable cause to determine that Roanoke College discriminated against Mullens and her teammates on the basis of sex and retaliated after the girls spoke up. It was a finding the college subsequently contested, calling the allegations «unsubstantiated» in a press release the school put out at the time and sent to Fox News Digital.

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The issue stemmed from a transgender student who previously swam on the school’s all-male swim team but wanted to switch to the all-female team following hormone therapy and other transitioning measures in the fall of 2023.

A meeting of the swim team and its members to discuss the new swimmer’s upcoming participation was one moment Mullens saw firsthand that her college’s administrators were unlikely to support her objections.

SPANBERGER REFUSES TO URGE JAY JONES TO EXIT RACE, DODGES QUESTIONS AFTER ‘TWO BULLETS’ TEXTS

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«The purpose of the meeting was to bring us all together with this individual to, in a way, hash out whatever feelings or opinions we had to the individual with administrators in the room,» Mullens recalled to Fox News Digital in August. 

«At one point, it was discussed that this individual, without the transition, had thought about and gone through with planning a suicide. So, that was something that was told to all of us.»   

Mullens, who described herself as a religious person, said she and her teammates’ first reaction was confusion after the swimmer shared specific details about a suicide plan. 

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«All of us felt emotionally confused. We didn’t know what to do,» Mullens previously shared with Fox News Digital.

Former Roanoke women's swimmer Lily Mullens

Former Roanoke women’s swim captain Lily Mullens. (Courtesy of ICONS)

Meanwhile, school administrators present at the meeting «didn’t say anything,» according to Mullens recollection of the event. And on-campus mental health professionals were never notified about the situation until after Mullens and others went public with the matter in a press conference. Following the press conference, Mullens and her teammates were denied opportunities to study abroad in locations of their choice despite good academic performance and a history of extensive extracurricular activities, according to Miyares’ findings. 

Mullens told Fox News Digital the explanations she and other swimmers got for their denials only added confusion to the whole matter even further. 

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«Basically, it said, ‘Not only is the professor responsible for the student’s academics, but also for their behavior,’» Mullens said. «I had no idea what that means. I’ve never had any sort of disciplinary action to me.» 

CAN JAY JONES BE REPLACED? DEMOCRATS’ DEFENSE OF SCANDAL-PLAGUED CANDIDATE DRAWS QUESTIONS

In additional conversations with Fox News Digital leading up to Virginia’s November elections, Mullens said she felt like the college simply brushed aside all of her concerns, while taking actions that suggested support for the transgender swimmer.  

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«Every single email that was sent in response to us Roanoke girls speaking out — I remember our original press conference, as well as when we spoke at the Trump rally in Salem that he had last year — our president sent out emails where he said, ‘We love and support our LGBTQ students.’ So, it was like, ‘Well, if you preach inclusion and diversity that includes of ideals.’ So, when people kind of brush over that and then don’t say anything else about it, it’s so hypocritical to me and I don’t … I’ve never understood how we can have one without the other.

«We need leaders who are able to say, ‘Absolutely not, we’re just not going to let this happen,’» Mullens said.

A split of Winsome Earle-Sears and Abigail Spanberger.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Winsome Earle-Sears, left, and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger, right. (Pool/Getty Images)

Approximately a week ago, Youngkin issued Executive Directive 14, which directed the state board of health to begin drafting new policies requiring private spaces, such as locker rooms and bathrooms, and for sports teams to remain separated by students’ gender assigned at birth. 

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Mullens said she feared that, just like a new president could overturn President Donald Trump’s plethora of executive orders, a new Democratic governor could do the same in her state. During a gubernatorial debate Thursday night, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, Democratic Party candidate, would not answer definitively whether she would rescind Youngkin’s Executive Directive 14, but she did say she does not believe politicians should be determining rules for school districts. 

Her GOP opponent, Earle-Sears, unequivocally said she would not rescind the directive.

Mullens also expressed concern in her interview about the upcoming attorney general race in the state, pitting Miyares and Jones against each other. Recently, Jones came under fire after text messages from 2022 surfaced of him saying then-Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert should get «two bullets to the head.» 

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«I think it’s insane that somebody who is wanting to be the top person when it comes to the law in the state can say that there’s people he wishes death upon and things like that. That could very well turn into me. It could turn into my teammates,» Mullens said. «The top of the law in a state should be somebody who you know is going to defend every single citizen, no matter what.»

Democratic Party Candidate Jay Jones is juxtaposed next to his Republican contender, incumbent Attorney General Jason Miyares

Democratic Party candidate for Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones, left, and Republican candidate Jason Miyares  (Getty Images)

Mullens, meanwhile, called Miyares «instrumental» in supporting her and her teammates, including through helping get their story out to the broader public. 

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«We were bullied. I mean, I have death threats that came into my direct messages on my personal social media accounts. I have anonymous messages that were sent to me by people who I could have been sitting next to in class, and it’s stuff like that that is so hard to deal with,» Mullens said. 

«When Attorney General Miyares came out and said, ‘Look, we’re going to investigate what the school did to these girls,’ we were just so grateful.»

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Cuba registró más de 1.000 protestas en marzo en medio de cortes de energía, represión y carencias

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Personas realizan un cacerolazo en medio de un apagón en La Habana, el pasado 7 de marzo (REUTERS/Norlys Pérez)

La ola de descontento social en Cuba alcanzó un nuevo pico durante marzo, mes en el que el Observatorio Cubano de Conflictos (OCC) reportó 1.245 protestas, denuncias y expresiones críticas en todo el país.

Según el informe de la ONG, al que tuvo acceso Infobae, los cortes de electricidad, la falta de agua, la escasez de combustible y el encarecimiento de los alimentos se combinaron con una respuesta represiva del Estado, generando una situación de máxima tensión en las calles.

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La Habana fue uno de los epicentros de la protesta. El OCC registró 54 manifestaciones presenciales contra la falta de servicios básicos, acompañadas por 70 grafitis antigubernamentales en diversas ciudades. El mes estuvo marcado por la persistencia de los apagones, que impulsaron a la ciudadanía a organizar cacerolazos y protestas nocturnas con lemas como “¡Libertad!”.

El punto más álgido ocurrió el 13 de marzo en Morón, Ciego de Ávila, donde manifestantes ingresaron a la sede local del Partido Comunista de Cuba (PCC). Una vez en el lugar, arrojaron mobiliario y documentos a la vía pública antes de prenderlos fuego.

El OCC catalogó el episodio como uno de los “556 desafíos al Estado policial” registrados en el mes, cifra que superó ampliamente los 432 de febrero y expuso el aumento de la confrontación directa con las autoridades.

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La protesta en la sede del Partido Comunista en Morón, Ciego de Ávila (Social Media/vía REUTERS)
La protesta en la sede del Partido Comunista en Morón, Ciego de Ávila (Social Media/vía REUTERS)

Las fallas en los servicios públicos ocuparon el segundo lugar entre las causas de protesta, con 179 registros que reflejan el impacto de la escasez de combustible y los tres colapsos nacionales del sistema eléctrico. El transporte público y la gasolina resultaron cada vez más inaccesibles, mientras la distribución de agua potable sufrió interrupciones prolongadas, según constató el OCC.

La represión estatal se intensificó en respuesta a la movilización ciudadana. El observatorio documentó 159 actos represivos, que incluyeron la detención de más de 40 manifestantes. El caso de la influencer Ana Sofía Benítez Silvente cobró notoriedad: la joven de 21 años fue sometida a prisión domiciliaria y recibió amenazas de hasta cinco años de cárcel tras un operativo de la Seguridad del Estado dirigido a frenar su actividad en redes sociales. “El aparato estatal quedó en evidencia forcejeando con una valiente y menuda jovencita”, describió el informe.

La crisis alimentaria y la inflación también generaron 127 protestas y denuncias en marzo. El sistema de racionamiento estatal profundizó su deterioro, mientras la escasez de combustible elevó los costos de transporte y distribución, impulsando al alza los precios de los alimentos. Un reportaje de TV Azteca provocó un escándalo al revelar que parte de las donaciones humanitarias enviadas por México se vendían en dólares en tiendas operadas por el conglomerado militar GAESA.

En el ámbito social, el OCC identificó 91 incidentes relacionados con jóvenes y familias, afectados por el deterioro de la educación, la emigración forzada y la presión cotidiana sobre los hogares. Los estudiantes universitarios, por ejemplo, realizaron una sentada en la escalinata de la Universidad de La Habana para expresar su descontento.

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La sentada de estudiantes en la Universidad de La Habana (REUTERS/Norlys Pérez)
La sentada de estudiantes en la Universidad de La Habana (REUTERS/Norlys Pérez)

La inseguridad ciudadana generó 85 registros de protesta, con 27 muertes relacionadas con violencia social, criminal o de género, incluidas las de una adolescente de 14 años y una niña de 7, víctimas de agresiones sexuales y homicidio. El OCC también reportó un aumento en los asaltos perpetrados por grupos organizados y armados.

En salud pública, 29 reportes expusieron el colapso del sistema hospitalario, marcado por la falta de medicamentos, insumos y especialistas, así como prolongadas listas de espera y cortes de electricidad que pusieron en riesgo la vida de pacientes.

El problema de la vivienda sumó 19 denuncias. El informe mencionó la propuesta estatal de adaptar contenedores marítimos como hogares, la falta de respuesta a damnificados por huracanes y los precios prohibitivos de alquileres en ciudades como La Habana.

El petrolero ruso Anatoly Kolodkin llegó a aguas de Matanzas, en Cuba

A finales de marzo, la llegada del buque tanque ruso Anatoly Kolodkin coincidió con un anuncio del presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, quien flexibilizó la política de bloqueo petrolero al declarar: “Si un país quiere enviar algo de petróleo a Cuba en este momento, no tengo ningún problema con eso, ya sea Rusia o no”.

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Según el experto de la Universidad de Texas Jorge Piñón, el crudo recibido permitiría producir unos 250.000 barriles de diésel, cantidad suficiente para alrededor de 10 a 12 días de consumo nacional.

El Observatorio Cubano de Conflictos concluyó que, si bien este alivio podría reducir temporalmente la presión social, la persistencia de las causas estructurales mantiene la tensión en la isla.



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SCOTUS slated to weigh future birthright citizenship protections for millions — here’s what’s at stake

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The Supreme Court on Wednesday will weigh the legality of President Donald Trump’s executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship in the U.S. — a landmark court fight that could profoundly impact the lives of millions of Americans and lawful U.S. residents.

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At issue in the case, Trump v. Barbara, is an executive order Trump signed on his first day back in office. The order in question seeks to end automatic citizenship — or «birthright citizenship» — for nearly all persons born in the U.S. to undocumented parents, or to parents with temporary non-immigrant visas in the U.S.

The stakes in the case are high, putting on a collision course more than a century of executive branch action, Supreme Court precedent, and the text of the Constitution itself — or, more specifically, the Citizenship Clause of the 14th Amendment. 

FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS TRUMP’S BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP BAN FOR ALL INFANTS, TESTING LOWER COURT POWERS

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President Donald Trump holds up an executive order after signing it during an indoor inauguration parade at Capital One Arena on Jan. 20, 2025 in Washington, D.C.  (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Trump administration officials view the order, and the high court’s consideration of the case, as a key component of his hard-line immigration agenda — an issue that has become a defining feature of his second White House term. 

Opponents argue the effort is unconstitutional and unprecedented, and could impact an estimated 150,000 children born in the U.S. annually to non-citizens. 

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A ruling in Trump’s favor would represent a seismic shift for immigration policy in the U.S., and would upend long-held notions of citizenship that Trump and his allies argue are misguided. It would also yield immediate, operational consequences for infants born in the U.S., putting the impetus on Congress and the Trump administration to immediately act to clarify their status. 

Here’s what to expect ahead of today’s oral arguments:

What’s at stake?

Justices will weigh Trump’s executive order 14160, or «Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship.» The order directs all U.S. government agencies to refuse to issue citizenship documents to children born in the U.S. to illegal immigrants, or children born to parents who are in the U.S. legally but with temporary, non-immigrant visas.

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The order would apply retroactively to all newborns born in the U.S. after Feb. 19, 2025. 

Trump’s executive order prompted a flurry of lawsuits in the days after its signing. Critics argued that, among other things, the order violated the Citizenship Clause of the 14th Amendment, which grants citizenship to «all persons born … in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States.»

Lawyers for the Trump administration, meanwhile, centered their case on the «subject to jurisdiction thereof» phrase, which they argue was intended at the time of its passage to narrowly «grant citizenship to newly freed slaves and their children» after the Civil War, and has been misinterpreted in the many years since.

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U.S. Solicitor General D. Sauer urged the high court to take up the case last October, arguing that a pair of lower court rulings were overly broad and relied on the «mistaken view» that «birth on U.S. territory confers citizenship on anyone subject to the regulatory reach of U.S. law became pervasive, with destructive consequences.»

«Those decisions confer, without lawful justification, the privilege of American citizenship on hundreds of thousands of unqualified people,» he said.

TRUMP TO BEGIN ENFORCING BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP ORDER AS EARLY AS THIS MONTH, DOJ SAYS

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Chief Supreme Court Justice John Roberts attends President Donald Trump's remarks to a joint session of Congress on March 4, 2025, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

(Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and other justices on the high court are seen during President Donald Trump’s 2026 State of the Union address. (Win McNamee/Getty Images))

He also argued that the lower court rulings overstepped, and «invalidated a policy of prime importance to the president and his administration in a manner that undermines our border security.»

Justices on the high court will have no shortage of strings to pull on in considering the executive order, or questioning lawyers during oral arguments. 

What’s changed?

The Supreme Court will use Wednesday’s arguments to weigh — to varying degrees — the text of the 14th Amendment, legal precedent, and text of the 1952 Immigration and Nationality Act, among other issues cited by Sauer, the ACLU, and authors of the dozens of amicus briefs filed to the court since it agreed to review the case last fall. 

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Legal experts told Fox News Digital that they expect Sauer could be in for an uphill battle in convincing a five-justice majority to unwind more than 125 years of precedent and text at issue in the case.

Despite their consensus, however, the court’s conservative bloc will still face thorny issues in reconciling more than a century of court precedent with the narrower reading of the 14th Amendment embraced by the Trump administration.

Justices are likely to focus closely on precedent in the Supreme Court case, United States v. Wong Kim Ark — a 1898 ruling in which the Supreme Court ruled that the son of two Chinese immigrants born in the U.S. was indeed a U.S. citizen. 

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The case is widely considered to be the modern precedent for birthright citizenship, including related cases heard by the high court in the decades since. 

Others cited the text of the 1952 Immigration and Nationality Act statute passed by Congress, which essentially mirrors the text of the 14th Amendment in conferring legal status to persons born in the U.S., as yet another argument that could tip the scales in the migrants’ favor.

«I can think of at least five reasons off the top of my head why the Supreme Court should say that the citizenship clause means today what it has always meant,» Amanda Frost, a professor at the University of Virginia School of Law who specializes in immigration and citizenship issues, told Fox News Digital.

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 SUPREME COURT SIGNALS IT MAY LIMIT KEY VOTING RIGHTS ACT RULE

Demonstrators gather outside the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., in support of birthright citizenship. President Donald Trump's executive order seeks to narrow protections for children born to non-residents on U.S. soil. Photo taken May 15, 2025. (Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty)

(Protesters gather outside the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., in May 2025.)

«There is text. There is original public understanding, which certainly includes Wong Kim Ark, but also five or six Supreme Court cases after that,» Frost said. 

«There is executive branch practice for the last century,» she added, «which is relevant as well when you’re interpreting the Constitution, and weighing [the question of], ‘What is the longstanding understanding of a constitutional provision by every other actor?’»

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«I don’t see how they could easily count to five,» Akhil Amar, a professor at Yale Law School, told Fox News Digital in an interview, speaking of the majority votes needed.

«Even if I lose on one issue, I win on [many others],» Amar said, before ticking through a list of reasons why the Supreme Court, in his view, might swing in favor of the migrant class in question, and ACLU legal director Cecillia Wang, who is arguing the case Wednesday on behalf of the migrants.

Others agreed, albeit with a bit more reservation.

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«I don’t think history supports the Trump administration’s view,» John Yoo, a law professor at the University of California Berkeley and former lawyer during the Bush administration, told Fox News Digital on the strength of the administration’s case.

JUDGES V TRUMP: HERE ARE THE KEY COURT BATTLES HALTING THE WHITE HOUSE AGENDA

Supreme Court building

A woman under a purple umbrella walks past the Supreme Court. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Stateless newborns, enforcement issues

Another question will be one of enforcement. Trump’s executive order does not codify the legal status that should be conferred to children who are born in the U.S. to holders of temporary, long-term visas — including student visas and H1B visas, legal experts told Fox News Digital.

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Frost, the University of Virginia Law professor, noted that Congress has not provided a pathway to legal status for the class of children who would be born in the U.S. and not granted citizenship. This means that the government would essentially need to act at lightning speed to confer some sort of status — be it temporary or longer-term — to newborns, should the justices side with Trump.

«The parents may have applied for a green card,» Frost said of newborns born to illegal immigrants, should the court allow Trump’s order to take force. «They might get the green card the next day.»

«It would not matter,» she said. «The child would not be a citizen.»

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U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks alongside President Donald Trump at a White House press briefing in this 2025 photo. (Getty Images)

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks alongside President Donald Trump at a White House press briefing in this 2025 photo. Bondi’s remarks have at times landed her in hot water and diverged from the administration’s own messaging.  (Getty Images)

Yoo, Amar, and others cited similar concerns voiced by justices briefly during oral arguments in another birthright citizenship case, Trump v. CASA, last year. The administration asked the court to review the case not on the merits of the order, but as a means of challenging so-called «universal,» or nationwide injunctions issued by federal court judges.

Despite the focus on the lower court powers, some justices still used their time to question Sauer about the birthright citizenship order and its implementation.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh, for his part, pressed Sauer for details on what documentation newborns might need at birth should Trump’s executive order take force.

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«On the day after it goes into effect — it’s just a very practical question of how it’s going to work,» Kavanaugh noted, before asking Sauer: «What do hospitals do with a newborn? What do states do with a newborn?» he asked, in order to determine their citizenship on a birth certificate.

«I don’t think they do anything different,» Sauer said in response. «What the executive order says in Section Two is that federal officials do not accept documents that have the wrong designation of citizenship from people who are subject to the executive order.»

«How are they going to know that?» Kavanaugh pressed, shaking his head.  

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The government’s position «makes no sense whatsoever,» Justice Sonia Sotomayor said at the time, before noting that it appeared to violate «four Supreme Court precedents,» and risked leaving some children stateless.

Supreme Court building

The Supreme Court building is seen in Washington, D.C.  (AP/Jon Elswick)

Who to watch

While it’s difficult to speculate how justices on the high court might position themselves in considering a case, there are some conservative justices that have signaled early skepticism about the Trump administration’s arguments. Their votes could prove to be decisive, experts said.

«In terms of oral arguments, I think what you’re going to see is a lot of attention paid to how Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Kavanaugh view the issue in particular,» Yoo said. «I think it will be up to them» to determine the majority ruling, he said.

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Roberts, in particular, often relies heavily on Supreme Court precedent, Yoo noted, and has been wary of overturning decisions made under previous courts — pointing to the «sort of anguished dissent» he authored in Roe v. Wade

«I think that’s really the question: whether there’s going to be enough historical evidence to change Robert’s mind about how to treat precedent,» he said, noting the chief justice tends to view questions of institutional importance and consistency as top-of-mind.

When it comes to birthright citizenship, Yoo said, there is a much longer history and court precedent that is older and «more well-followed» than Roe ever was, he noted, which could swing the conservatives in the ACLU’s favor.

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«We never know why the Supreme Court decides to hear a case,» Amar told Fox News Digital. «But I’m hoping that they heard the case because America deserves an answer.»

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A decision from the high court is expected by late June. 

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Ser hipocondríaco en la era de Internet: el libro que analiza desde una perspectiva tanto médica como literaria una condición considerada como real

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‘Hipocondría’, de Will Rees (Alpha Decay)

La inquietud persistente en torno a la salud y el incesante escrutinio de los síntomas han cobrado un protagonismo renovado con la publicación de Hipocondría (Alpha Decay), el libro de Will Rees, cuya aparición coincide con un auge de la ansiedad médica amplificada por el acceso a información digital. El libro no solo propone una revisión personal, sino que recorre el trayecto histórico, filosófico y cultural de un trastorno tantas veces relegado a la incomprensión.

En los últimos años, la hipocondría ha sido reconocida por la investigación médica como una condición tan real como la depresión o el trastorno de estrés postraumático. Este diagnóstico implica que no se trata de un fallo de carácter (como hasta el momento se había hecho creer al paciente), sino de una afección legítima que afecta el modo en que las personas perciben y gestionan la incertidumbre respecto a su propio cuerpo.

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De hecho, la Asociación Estadounidense de Psiquiatría ha determinado que tres cuartas partes de los identificados como hipocondríacos presentan un trastorno de síntomas somáticos, mientras que el resto padece trastorno de ansiedad por enfermedad. El auge de herramientas de ‘autodiagnóstico’ online ha introducido el término “cibercondría”, reflejando una nueva modalidad donde la búsqueda de información multiplica la ansiedad en lugar de apaciguarla.

Una experiencia en primera persona

Will Rees, tanto editor como académico británico, describe en primera persona su recorrido a través de la hipocondría, iniciándose en 2010 con un dolor de cabeza crónico. La negativa de Rees a paliar el síntoma recurriendo a analgésicos actúa como punto de partida de una introspección que adopta tintes kafkianos: antes que silenciar la alarma, decide “comprender el dolor”, abordando un periplo de observación minuciosa y creciente acumulación de síntomas percibidos. Olvidos cotidianos, tics, cambios en el gusto del café, e incluso una secuencia de hipo entre una y tres veces al día, configuran ese estado de vigilancia perpetua. Ante una búsqueda reveladora en internet (“¿puede el cáncer cerebral causar hipo?”), Rees se topa con una inquietante afirmación: sí, si la enfermedad está avanzada. A pesar de repetidas consultas médicas y de la falta de hallazgos patológicos, la duda persiste y se expande junto con nuevos indicios.

Portada del libro 'Hipocondría', de Will Rees, editado por Alpha Decay
Portada del libro ‘Hipocondría’, de Will Rees, editado por Alpha Decay

La comunidad médica ha establecido que la hipocondría no responde a una única definición ni a criterios infalibles, lo cual arroja una sombra de incertidumbre tanto sobre profesionales como pacientes. La mayor parte de los afectados se identifican con la sintomatología somática, mientras otros viven con una inquietud recurrente sin signos físicos manifiestos.

Entender qué es la hipocondría

El término incluso desapareció en 2013 del manual diagnóstico D.S.M.-5, lo que evidencia su carácter ambiguo y evanescente en la tradición clínica. La ‘cibercondría’, por su parte, ha extendido la posibilidad de autoexamen y diagnóstico erróneo a gran escala, con numerosos portales prometiendo identificar los “cinco signos para reconocer la cibercondría” o listados de advertencias que, lejos de tranquilizar, intensifican la preocupación.

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El texto de Rees ahonda precisamente en este terreno movedizo: “La hipocondría es un diagnóstico que pone en cuestión cuán seguros podemos estar jamás de cualquier diagnóstico”, escribe el autor, desplazando el interés desde las etiquetas hacia la incertidumbre inherente a cualquier juicio médico. La obra se convierte, así, en una indagación sobre los límites del conocimiento y la imposibilidad de alcanzar una certidumbre absoluta respecto a la salud personal.

A lo largo del libro, Rees confronta la tradición literaria y filosófica en torno a la enfermedad, remitiéndose a autores como Virginia Woolf, Kafka, Immanuel Kant o Samuel Johnson, todos ellos sensibles al sufrimiento físico y a la dificultad de traducirlo al lenguaje.

El escritor Will Rees autor del libro 'Hipocondría'
El escritor Will Rees

Woolf, en su ensayo Sobre la enfermedad, subraya: “El inglés, capaz de expresar los pensamientos de Hamlet, carece de palabras para describir el escalofrío y el dolor de cabeza… Quien trata de explicar un dolor a un médico ve cómo el idioma se le agota.” La propia estructura del libro refleja esos desdoblamientos temporales y la superposición de relatos personales y ajenos, incluidas referencias puntuales a ensayos de otros autores y a episodios recientes del propio Rees en los que la sospecha de enfermedad nunca se resuelve del todo.

Cinco años para “entender” su enfermedad

El testimonio de Rees articula una experiencia que se extiende hasta su juventud, marcando casi una década de vaivén entre el alivio transitorio y la reaparición del temor. La lectura sobre síntomas y enfermedades, comparada por algunos médicos victorianos con la causa misma de la hipocondría, ahora encuentra eco en la economía digital de la salud, donde buscadores y plataformas especializadas han multiplicado las oportunidades para la inquietud. Rees llega a someterse a pruebas oftalmológicas, resonancias y variados estudios, recibiendo diagnósticos que a menudo solo refuerzan su inseguridad. Un episodio significativo se produce cuando, tras la publicación de un ensayo sobre el tema, un desconocido se le acerca para advertirle que debe realizarse otra revisión, reabriendo la espiral del cuestionamiento y la incertidumbre.

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La cantante actúa por primera vez en Madrid con la gira de ‘LUX’ ante un público que clama por ella. / Grabación de pantalla de @rafacasah

La reflexión final de Rees (que, llegada la treintena, ha logrado dejar de pensar de forma compulsiva en su salud) no implica la consecución de una certeza, sino una suerte de aprendizaje en torno a la aceptación de la duda. En palabras del propio autor, escritas en su libro: “Mi libro cubre cinco años de mi vida, que comenzaron cuando creía tener un tumor cerebral y concluyeron, ya en la veintena, al convencerme de que tenía un linfoma. Estos dos momentos, estas dos crisis en que la cuestión de la salud se cernía sobre mi rutina diaria, enmarcan Hipocondría, que también analiza la historia de esta dolencia y a quienes intentaron comprenderla”.

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