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Simon Wessely wins prize for "Standing Up For Science."

Dx Revision Watch

Suzy Chapman Owner of Dx Revision Watch
Messages
3,061
Location
UK
That's odd - I thought SW denied he was researching ME after all the kerfuffle broke out (must try to find).

Enid,

On 20 September 2001, the Guardian published an article by Health Editor, Sarah Boseley, quoting Professor Wessely, called:

Storm brews over ‘all in mind’ theory of ME

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,554693,00.html

In this exceedingly emotive piece of journalism, Ms Boseley reported:

“Prof Wessely has quit the field – and is not the only professional to have ceased involvement with CFS.”

See also:

A very modern epidemic, Guardian, 27 September 2001:

http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/medicalscience/story/0,,559001,00.html


In November 2006, the Group on Scientific Research into ME (the unofficial "Gibson Report") reported:

“[...] Wessely gave up the [CFS] research side of his work…”

[Source: Report of the GSRME: Page 19, Section 3.2 Other Evidence We Received: Prof Simon Wessely]

In September 2007, Dr Ian Gibson was requested to provide a reference source for this statement but was unable to do so.

At the end of this post on my ME Agenda site is a list of CFS papers published since 2002 with Prof Wessely's name included in the authors. As you'll be aware, there have been a number of other papers since 2008, when this ME agenda post was first published:

http://wp.me/p5foE-6y

Suzy Chapman
 

Enid

Senior Member
Messages
3,309
Location
UK
Then the British Psychological Society are well out of touch. No ME (if ever) researcher now. Still his mates are charging in with distortion of the facts. Even Sharpe if I recall correctly denied researching ME.

Thanks for the links Suzy.
 

jace

Off the fence
Messages
856
Location
England

ukxmrv

Senior Member
Messages
4,413
Location
London
Here's a message that Rich posted to a Yahoo group in 2007. I don't mind reposting it here as it was to a public group and Rich gave me permission at the time.

Sunday, 28 January, 2007 2:40

To:CFSFMExperimental@yahoogroups
Hi, all.

Since I know that many PWCs have rather strong views about Dr. Simon
Wessely's impact on CFS over the past few years, I think you might be
interested to know that when I sent him copies of my recent papers, his
response was to thank me, but also to let me know that he is "really
not doing this work anymore." He wrote that he "got disillusioned with
it all," and that he has "moved on." I just thought you might like to
know this.

Rich
 

satoshikasumi

Senior Member
Messages
113
This is "Daily Prophet" levels of ridiculous. Wessley has not published original research in this field in 10 years. He has not been relevant in the CFS research community since the 1990s.

Besides that, there is nothing special about the challenges he has faced. Psychiatrist occasionally gets a few not-particularly-credible threats from "mentally ill" patients!? This happens to every lowly mental health practitioner out there. It does not make him a hero.

Why didn't they give the award to one of the climate researchers- many of them have faced multimillion dollar conspiratorial campaigns to discredit their research and silence their voices, not to mention threats and thousands of angry emails.
 

Merry

Senior Member
Messages
1,378
Location
Columbus, Ohio, USA
Who is Ellen Goudsmit? She says in a letter posted at co-cure that although she does not agree with Simon Wessely's resarch, she urges the ME/CFS community to desist from asking for evidence of abuse against Simon Wessely.

I would post her letter, but she ends with this warning:

*** This e-mail and any attachments are confidential and solely for the information of the addressee. Any copying or disclosure to a third party is unauthorised and the sender is not responsible for any matter resulting from changes to the text made by a third party.


Earlier in the day I emailed to tell her I would like to see the evidence.
 

Bob

Senior Member
Messages
16,455
Location
England (south coast)
The trouble with asking for evidence, is that any negative remarks can be taken out of context, and even invented. And if there is any evidence, it won't look good for us.

If evidence is required, maybe the best approach might be to make a FOI request to Simon Wessely's employers, for evidence in relation to the number of illegal threats, or complaints that the courts have upheld, if he works at a university.
 

Merry

Senior Member
Messages
1,378
Location
Columbus, Ohio, USA
The trouble with asking for evidence, is that any negative remarks can be taken out of context, and even invented. If there is any evidence, it won't look good.

If evidence is required, maybe the best approach might be to make a FOI request to Simon Wessely's employers, for evidence in relation to the number of illegal threats, if he works at a university.

You're right that it can be taken out of context or invented. Evidence would require context and proof it was not invented by Simon Wessely. Please elaborate on what you mean by "If there is any evidence, it won't look good."
 
Messages
13,774
I'd be amazed if Wessely hadn't received angry e-mails and threats. It's a constant tabloid headline to have some minor celebrity talking about death threats and harassment because they are annoying on X-Factor or whatever, and Wessely has caused rather more serious harm than that.

That's not to say that this sort of things hasn't been massively exaggerated to his advantage.

We've recently had Max Pemberton complaining about harassment on twitter, but when looking at the tweets it seemed to be lots of people rightly complaining about the fact he'd made false claims about the findings from PACE, while he pretended that they were only upset because of the stigma of psychiatry.

The only example of a threat we had in the press coverage of CFS 'militants' last year was Esther Crawley being sent an e-mail about her decision to spend researching funding on the Lightning Process. The threat was 'You will pay'. Two weeks later rioting broke out in the UK, and David Cameron sent a message to all those involved: 'You will pay'. Terrifying.

If it weren't for the fact that most of the people harmed by his work are sick and disabled, I'd have thought Wessely would have real reason to be worried. As it is, CFS militants don't seem likely to pose much of a threat - and the lack of prosecutions or convictions of those with CFS for their campaign of harassment would seem to show that they have not been much of a threat in the past.
 

Bob

Senior Member
Messages
16,455
Location
England (south coast)
Oh, I see. You were adding to your post as I was writing.

Sorry Merry. It's a bad habit of mine!

Oh no, I'm doing it again!:
Please elaborate on what you mean by "If there is any evidence, it won't look good."
If there is evidence that members of the ME community have sent SW nasty and threatening communications, and they are published, then it could reflect badly on us all, don't you think? It certainly won't be positive publicity.
 

Merry

Senior Member
Messages
1,378
Location
Columbus, Ohio, USA
Sorry Merry. It's a bad habit of mine!

Oh no, I'm doing it again!:

If there is evidence that members of the ME community have sent SW nasty and threatening communications, and they are published, then it could reflect badly on us all, don't you think? It certainly won't be positive publicity.

No apology necessary, Bob. I was adding to my post, too, just as you were adding to yours.

Yes, I understand that publication of threatening communications would be bad publicity. But we get this bad publicity anyway because Simon Wessely keeps complaining about the abuse he's received from the ME/CFS community, and he has the ear of the press (and friends in scientific organizations). I would like to think that all the journalists who have reported Simon Wessely's claim of threats have asked to see the evidence before writing the news stories, but I don't feel confident that that has happened.

I agree with Esther12 above. I have no doubt that Simon Wessely has received angry emails and threats or what Simon Wessely construed as threats. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that someone threatened his life.
 

Bob

Senior Member
Messages
16,455
Location
England (south coast)
No apology necessary, Bob. I was adding to my post, too, just as you were adding to yours.

:)

Yes, I understand that publication of threatening communications would be bad publicity. But we get this bad publicity anyway because Simon Wessely keeps complaining about the abuse he's received from the ME/CFS community, and he has the ear of the press (and friends in scientific organizations). I would like to think that all the journalists who have reported Simon Wessely's claim of threats have asked to see the evidence before writing the news stories, but I don't feel confident that that has happened.

I agree with Esther12 above. I have no doubt that Simon Wessely has received angry emails and threats or what Simon Wessely construed as threats. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that someone threatened his life.


Yes, I wasn't expressing an opinion as to whether we should ask for the evidence, or not.
I was just pointing out that there might be unforeseen consequences.
That's why I suggested that the best way to ask for it, might be through a FOI request... It would give us more control over the process.
 

Merry

Senior Member
Messages
1,378
Location
Columbus, Ohio, USA
:)

Yes, I wasn't expressing an opinion as to whether we should ask for the evidence, or not.
I was just pointing out that there might be unforeseen consequences.

That's why I suggested that the best way to ask for it, might be through a FOI request... It would give us more control over the process.

I agree. Always unforeseen consequences. And the way our luck is running. . . .

I don't know what communications the FOI covers in the UK (heck, I don't know what the law in the US covers).