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NHS Bristol on 'Management of somatoform disorders' - read this and weep.

Messages
2,158
This may have been posted elsewhere, I've lost track. It's guidelines for NHS doctors on dealing with patients with 'somatoform disorders', which I assume they think includes ME.

I had to read this several times and check the logo at the top of the page because I thought at first it was a spoof.

Apart from being full of spelling and grammatical errors, here are a few choice quotes:

''Evidence based treatment
The evidence for effective treatment of patients with chronic multiple symptoms are very sparse with less than 2 randomised controlled studied.''

''Attempt to be the patient’s only physician and to minimise patient’s contact with other healthcare professionals.''

''Understand worsening and new symptoms as an emotional communication rather than a manifestation of new disease''

''Group therapy: several uncontrolled have proved that group therapy has been beneficial.''

https://www.nbt.nhs.uk/clinicians/s...ry-clinicians/management-somatoform-disorders
 
Messages
15,786
''Attempt to be the patient’s only physician and to minimise patient’s contact with other healthcare professionals.''

''Understand worsening and new symptoms as an emotional communication rather than a manifestation of new disease''

I haven't seen advice that bad since the 1990's. In this day and age, they're begging for a lawsuit by blocking medical access and refusing investigation of new symptoms. I wonder how many patients they'll have to kill or seriously damage before they adopt subtler language.
 

sarah darwins

Senior Member
Messages
2,508
Location
Cornwall, UK
I'm pretty stunned to see this on an NHS website. North Bristol NHS Trust should be fucking ashamed of themselves.

Looking at the page source it seems to have been written in 2012 and last updated in 2015.

I'm not sure whether the irresponsibility or the 'guidance' or the near incoherence of the writing bothers me more.
 

snowathlete

Senior Member
Messages
5,374
Location
UK
This may have been posted elsewhere, I've lost track. It's guidelines for NHS doctors on dealing with patients with 'somatoform disorders', which I assume they think includes ME.

I had to read this several times and check the logo at the top of the page because I thought at first it was a spoof.

Apart from being full of spelling and grammatical errors, here are a few choice quotes:

''Evidence based treatment
The evidence for effective treatment of patients with chronic multiple symptoms are very sparse with less than 2 randomised controlled studied.''

''Attempt to be the patient’s only physician and to minimise patient’s contact with other healthcare professionals.''

''Understand worsening and new symptoms as an emotional communication rather than a manifestation of new disease''

''Group therapy: several uncontrolled have proved that group therapy has been beneficial.''

https://www.nbt.nhs.uk/clinicians/s...ry-clinicians/management-somatoform-disorders

I think this is bad enough to expect it is removed and for there to be an investigation into why this happened and to stop anything like it happening again. It's not necessarily an ME thing, but that doesn't matter. Anyone healthy or not would not expect this to be the kind of practice going on in any disease. There is no way in 2017 you can get away with stuff like attempting to manipulate the care of patients by isolating them from other healthcare professionals. Truly shocking. I think this highlights that there are massive problems with the way doctors and researchers working in the are of somatoform disorders perceive patients; there is a complete lack of respect and the basic rights of patients.
 

alex3619

Senior Member
Messages
13,810
Location
Logan, Queensland, Australia
erm...I'm a disabled white English male living under a Conservative government - I'm pretty sure I don't have any basic rights. If they decide to do something to me I don't want/like, or make the system even more unfair, no one gives a rats.....
30,000 per year increase in deaths in disabled in the UK under DWP/ATOS style policies, using published government data, and the debate was mainly about whether or not the tests were fair. I considered it genocide when it continued. Why weren't there mass protests from the whole populace?
 

Wonko

Senior Member
Messages
1,467
Location
The other side.
30,000 per year increase in deaths in disabled in the UK under DWP/ATOS style policies, using published government data, and the debate was mainly about whether or not the tests were fair. I considered it genocide when it continued. Why weren't there mass protests from the whole populace?
Because the public don't give a rats.... (unless it's their family). As I said...we have no rights.
 

msf

Senior Member
Messages
3,650
I haven't seen advice that bad since the 1990's. In this day and age, they're begging for a lawsuit by blocking medical access and refusing investigation of new symptoms. I wonder how many patients they'll have to kill or seriously damage before they adopt subtler language.

It´s a times like these I wish we had more of the sueing culture you see in America. Please can you guys send someone to help us like you did with Charlie Gard?

Seriously though, does anyone know how medical malpractice suits work in the UK?
 

msf

Senior Member
Messages
3,650
Because the public don't give a rats.... (unless it's their family). As I said...we have no rights.

Sometimes they don´t care even if it´s in their family either. I just told my mum about it (she´s generally very supportive), and she didn´t want to know about it. I think the fact that the NHS is a religion for some people also contributes to this.
 

SilverbladeTE

Senior Member
Messages
3,043
Location
Somewhere near Glasgow, Scotland
30,000 per year increase in deaths in disabled in the UK under DWP/ATOS style policies, using published government data, and the debate was mainly about whether or not the tests were fair. I considered it genocide when it continued. Why weren't there mass protests from the whole populace?

because the media is owned and controlled by the evil doers, look at constant lies on BBC about protests (lying about how many are there), and the utter evil of the Murdoch tabloids which are now being effectively BANNED by entire towns and cities in England they are so disgusted by their filth.

And because in general nowadays, only violent protest gets any action done :/
look at protest against the 2nd Gulf War, Occupy etc...it does BUGGER ALL to protest nowadays, unless you are a terrorist.
Non-violent Republican groups were *ignored* by the UK government as deliberate policy, for example, which meant ever more support for terrorism as democratic means were absolutely stifled (at that time).
part of why Democracy is falling apart, the scum don't want to listen/do anything, under cuts more support for Democracy...which the scum want anyway.

ALL of this is about the Elite/corporates etc not wanting to pay any tax, to get rid of the Rule of law, get rid of any opposition.
Empires have fallen because of that exact same selfish evil stupidity.

Standard Operating Procedure in the UK: ignore it, deny it, lie about it, and let them all die off.
Form coal miners, to asbestos and nuclear workers, to nuclear and chemical weapon test veterans...you name it.

only when there's a government in power with folk *wanting* to listen, or eager for it to get in power, is much done.
system is absolutely rotten to the core. Now, they don't give a s**t!

we're just one victim group.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

snowathlete

Senior Member
Messages
5,374
Location
UK
30,000 per year increase in deaths in disabled in the UK under DWP/ATOS style policies, using published government data, and the debate was mainly about whether or not the tests were fair. I considered it genocide when it continued. Why weren't there mass protests from the whole populace?

Apathy because most believe it won't happen to them. Society now is accepting of appalling things so long as the large majority are fine, or feel they are fine. Difficult to change the overall system, but I think things as blatant as this can be challenged by the minority with some success.
 

alex3619

Senior Member
Messages
13,810
Location
Logan, Queensland, Australia
Somatoform disorder as a diagnosis is as bankrupt now as these diagnoses were back when Charcot started to formalize the definition of hysteria. Many of his patients fit the profile of what would be now called epilepsy. Or consider tuberculosis as arising from a tubercular personality.

Freud's first famous success probably died in a Swiss asylum. So much for his success.

The problem with a lot of this is we look for rational answers, for accountability, and what we find is politics and unaccountability. That holds for somatization and ME alike. It goes way beyond that, but I don't want to debate that here.

The problem is that lies form a bad basis for policy, growth and stability. It might take a very long time but at some point the bill is presented. Its like a big game of inter-generational musical chairs. When you promote this stuff you are hoping the music doesn't stop in your generation of "experts". If you do get caught you hope to pass the bill along to someone else, or blame someone else.

They also try to spin things in new ways, hoping people wont catch on. Hysteria, conversion disorder, psychosomatic, psychogenic, functional disorders, unexplained symptoms ... same pond water in new rose bottles, but they keep having to change the names.

Economics is similar. Why have we not fixed the problems that led to the global financial crisis?

In case anyone is in any doubt, many of my questions are rhetorical. We know at least some of the answers.

We need to see the struggle for justice for ME and CFS patients as a political struggle as well as a search for scientific discovery. We need to consider others fighting similar struggles as our allies. That would include other disease groups that have been poorly treated.

One of the interesting tricks of power is to convince people they have no power. Yet the public always has the power to change things, a point made by Machiavelli. Always. Things don't happen only because people don't get organized.

I really hope the Rituximab trials are a big success, and we should know in as little as two months.
 

mango

Senior Member
Messages
905
''Attempt to be the patient’s only physician and to minimise patient’s contact with other healthcare professionals.''

''Understand worsening and new symptoms as an emotional communication rather than a manifestation of new disease''
This has a very strong smell of Fink (see for example page 31 here) and the TERM model (The Extended Reattribution and Management Model, developed by Fink et al) used in Denmark.

See also this website (Google translate, English), which has a critical view on Fink & Term.

:vomit::depressed::nervous::bang-head::grumpy::(:mad::confused::eek::cry:
 

Countrygirl

Senior Member
Messages
5,429
Location
UK
I'm just about speechless after reading that appalling article by some illiterate.

Just shocking on every level.................and the standard of English is woeful.

This is how they describe themselves:

We aim to deliver exceptional healthcare for all our patients, carers and visitors to ensure our care is of the highest quality and our patients are treated with respect and dignity.

It will be interesting to see how long the article stays before being whooshed.

I have taken a copy of it for future reference though.

Just unbelievable..................