Wellness blogger fined for fake cancer tale

[John Mac]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-41423491

An Australian wellness blogger who falsely claimed to have cancer has been fined A$410,000 (£240,000, $322,000) for misleading her readers.
Belle Gibson, 25, gained fame in Australia after she claimed to have beaten brain cancer using natural remedies and nutrition.
She launched a successful app and cookbook, but later admitted the diagnosis was made up.

So it's not just the ME community that is targeted by charlatans

 

[Hip]

If a blogger can be fined for claiming to have a disease that she really did not have and financially profiting from this claim, can psychiatrists be fined for claiming ME/CFS patients don't have a disease that they really do have, with psychiatrists financially profiting from these false claims?

That is, is there a legal case for fining psychiatrists who tell patients that their ME/CFS is "all in the mind", and then profit from these lies?

 

[HowToEscape?]

If a blogger can be fined for claiming to have a disease that she really did not have and financially profiting from this claim, can psychiatrists be fined for claiming ME/CFS patients don't have a disease that they really do have, with psychiatrists financially profiting from these false claims?

That is, is there a legal case for fining psychiatrists who tell patients that their ME/CFS is "all in the mind", and then profit from these lies?

There is certainly a moral case. In the US it might fall under civil RICO, but to win it you'd need a combination legal political and media team to rival the Clinton empire. (Not going to happen.)

 

[belize44]

There is certainly a moral case. In the US it might fall under civil RICO, but to win it you'd need a combination legal political and media team to rival the Clinton empire. (Not going to happen.)

Good point!

 

[Alvin2]

If a blogger can be fined for claiming to have a disease that she really did not have and financially profiting from this claim, can psychiatrists be fined for claiming ME/CFS patients don't have a disease that they really do have, with psychiatrists financially profiting from these false claims?

That is, is there a legal case for fining psychiatrists who tell patients that their ME/CFS is "all in the mind", and then profit from these lies?

Interesting, perhaps something to pursue further

 

[Hajnalka]

So it's not just the ME community that is targeted by charlatans

On a related note: I've recently had a look at the homepage of a German cancer association. They wrote very visibly, that positive thinking does not help and that it's a very unfortunate myth for cancer patients who are being blamed. So there definitely seem to be parallels between all diseases.