I believed you were saying that NICE think ME is caused by 'behavioural' factors and can be successfully treated with CBT and GET and that in so doing there is nothing 'psychical' or nothing that can't be overcome with a teaspoon of CBT.
I'm referring more to the lack of investment, lack of treatment, lack of integrity and lack of knowledge/insight in the NHS (at national and local levels) rather than their official line on CBT/GET.
I was only offered GET at my specialist CFS clinic and it was utterly inappropriate and insulting. I couldn't fault the individual therapists, considering their remit. They were very caring, flexible and considerate. But they offered me an inappropriate 'treatment'. Also, the diagnosing 'specialist' doctor clearly didn't understand the nature of post-exertional malaise and my own doctor hasn't got the slightest clue about the nature of ME.
Many NHS doctors consider ME patients to have a functional disorder. The NHS itself doesn't have an official opinion about the cause or etiology: except that the cause is unknown. But they officially treat it only with CBT and GET. CBT/GET are not designed as coping mechanisms, but are designed as treatments to reduce symptoms and disability, so in practice ME is treated as a cognitive-behavioural disorder.
Things could be so much better if funding and resources were made available for proper integrative expert services, and clinical centres of excellence based on a biomedical model of illness. Not to mention appropriate in-patient care for severely ill patients and at-home health and social care when patients need it.
Why, for example, don't the specialist clinics have endocrinologists assessing and helping all the patients who come through the doors? Because CFS patients don't have endocrine (and autonomic nervous system) problems or because the NHS has
decided that CFS patients don't have such problems?
If you are satisfied with the current arrangements then perhaps it's because you are not aware of, or haven't thought about, what the alternatives would look like. It could be vastly different.
I believe management strategies are the best that can currently be offered to all by way of 'treatment'. As a general measure - but for some such measures are not necessary and they wont benefit from them.
I've complained of occasional weird symptoms (possible autonomic nervous system problems, e.g. chest pain, palpitations, light-headedness, over-stimulation) but have had zero investigation or treatment. Directly after my last major relapse I developed fluctuating endocrine levels, with associated symptoms, but have had no treatment or specialist investigation despite some of my test results being abnormal (e.g. abnormally high TSH levels.) And I know for a fact that I'm not alone in receiving this lack of treatment or interest. Why do you consider this to be the best they can offer?
When I first got ill I had no obvious endocrine issues but these have developed over time. Where is the expert advice? Where are the treatments? Where is the specialist input?
Firestorm, it actually makes me highly frustrated to hear you tell me that NHS services are adequate under the circumstances. I find it insulting and offensive, for so many reasons that I can't possibly explain in one post. If the will was there, things would be very different.
For further indication about the attitude of the NHS towards ME patients, watch this depressing video interview of Dr Speight, and then tell me that every thing is fine in the NHS with regards to CFS, and that it's treated as a biomedical illness:
http://forums.phoenixrising.me/inde...iatrician-dr-nigel-speight.27153/#post-418126