According to the official UK DWP document released last year...
Sir Simon appears to be personally responsible for heavily influencing the established W.H.O neurological disease ME, being erroneously categorized alongside Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) in the UK, rather than remaining a separate neurological disease.
Sir Simon's words to the Department of work and pensions (DWP) in the UK now follow:
Sir Simon - ''I wrote to express some dissatisfaction with the then DLA entry feeling it did not accurately reflect the state of medical knowledge on the subject. I am afraid I feel obliged to write again following the receipt of the enclosed leaflet from the ME Association which triumphantly states that CFS/ME will now be listed under 'other neurological disorders''.
Sir Simon - '' I am disturbed that this disorder should be listed as a neurological disease''.
Sir Simon - ''I enclosed an editorial that I had written last year for a neurological journal reviewing the evidence on this subject and concluding that there was little to no point to a neurological origin of symptoms. Since then more research has been published in the leading neurological journals and nothing has happened to alter those conclusions''.
Sir Simon - ''I feel this decision represents the triumph of an effective lobby over scientific evidence''.
Sir Simon- 'If CFS/ME is to be listed as a neurological disorder I for one will begin to campaign via the mental health charities for schizophrenia and manic depression to be also listed under the same heading. Indeed there is far more evidence suggesting that these disorders have a neurological origin than does CFS/ME''.
Sir Simon - ''I also feel that this decision if it has been made reflects an undesirable stigmatisation of psychiatric disorders. The main difference between CFS and the major psychiatric disorders is neither etiological nor symptomatic but the existence of a powerful lobby group that dislikes any association with psychiatry''.
Sir Simon - ''It is also a most unfortunate message to send sufferers. It colludes with the erroneous belief that this is a severe disorder of neurological functioning for which there is little effective treatment and a poor prognosis. It will discourage any sensible efforts at rehabilitation''.
Sir Simon - ''As we and now many other groups have shown that the only determinant of outcome in this condition is strength of belief in a solely physical cause then it will also itself contribute to disability and poor outcome. I cannot believe that is the intention of the Department, if only on grounds of cost!''.
Source:
National Archive Document BN141/1
http://www.thegracecharityforme.org/TNA/index.html
p: 17-18 (search for p.16).
http://www.thegracecharityforme.org/documents.asp
I do hope that the Countess of Mar, Professor Hooper and other effective ME CFS advocates (UK Journalist Sonia Poulton perhaps?) are aware of these very challenging quotes by Sir Simon. Fortunately they are written in an archived communication so the source is rock solid.
What is disturbing is this is a letter to a public office no less, that was previously hidden from prying eyes, 'closed' from public view. The office Sir Simon is writing to is an office that delivers financial payments by making decisions on the disabled on grounds of disability, including neurological disability.
If you have time read the following also. It's very good and clearly presented:
http://www.stonebird.co.uk/myths.pdf