• Welcome to Phoenix Rising!

    Created in 2008, Phoenix Rising is the largest and oldest forum dedicated to furthering the understanding of and finding treatments for complex chronic illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia (FM), long COVID, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), and allied diseases.

    To become a member, simply click the Register button at the top right.

Could an Infection Cause Tourette's-Like Symptoms in Teenage Girls?

SOC

Senior Member
Messages
7,849
It never ceases to amaze me how easily the medical professionals fall back on "conversion disorder" when they don't know the answer to a problem. They seem to think that they are omniscient -- if they don't know about it, it doesn't exist. "I don't understand it, so you're making it up (consciously or unconsciously)." They accept biopsychosocial explanations with much less supportive evidence than they demand from pure physiological explanations. I continuously have to remind myself that doctors are not scientists/researchers, they are glorified technicians. They don't necessarily have the training in or understanding of the scientific process or the methods for drawing sound scientific conclusions.

You'd think they'd have learned from their failures in originally diagnosing MS as hysterical paralysis and ulcers as a stress-related disorder. No doubt there are additional conditions they've misdiagnosed this way, much to the detriment of the patient population.

I have a lot of respect for many doctors -- the ones that think, the ones that use scientific reasoning. We have a number of those helping us with ME/CFS. Many have sacrificed a great deal for the benefit of their patients. The majority of doctors, however --especially GPs -- get so caught up in egotism and group-think that they do more harm than good.

I don't know what is happening with these girls in LeRoy. What I am convinced of is that they leaped to the easy "mass hysteria" aka conversion disorder much too soon in the process. Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. Keep looking. Don't use some cop-out save-face explanation that lets you give up because solving the problem is too hard. :rolleyes:
 

Dreambirdie

work in progress
Messages
5,569
Location
N. California
You'd think they'd have learned from their failures in originally diagnosing MS as hysterical paralysis and ulcers as a stress-related disorder. No doubt there are additional conditions they've misdiagnosed this way, much to the detriment of the patient population.

And don't forget tuberculosis, which according to the medical establishment of the 1800's was considered a "romantic disease," associated with heightened sensitivity and spiritual purity, and caused in part be a "melancholic" temperament.

I have a lot of respect for many doctors -- the ones that think, the ones that use scientific reasoning. We have a number of those helping us with ME/CFS. Many have sacrificed a great deal for the benefit of their patients. The majority of doctors, however --especially GPs -- get so caught up in egotism and group-think that they do more harm than good.

I don't know what is happening with these girls in LeRoy. What I am convinced of is that they leaped to the easy "mass hysteria" aka conversion disorder much too soon in the process. Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. Keep looking. Don't use some cop-out save-face explanation that lets you give up because solving the problem is too hard. :rolleyes:

I don't exactly share your respect for doctors. I have heard rumors that there are some decent ones out there somewhere, but I have no personal experience to corroborate that.

I do know that these girls were treated for PANDAS with antibiotics, and that after that some of them began to get better. This is what should be reported about, and not the ridiculous "conversion disorder" that the psychiatrists concocted to give themselves a reason to have something to do with their time.

THis is all just too familiar, and it's really gotten old.
 

Dreambirdie

work in progress
Messages
5,569
Location
N. California
WOW! What a great video, about LABELING KIDS WITH BOGUS MENTAL DISORDERS.

"20 Million Kids & Adolescents are labeled with "mental disorders" that are based solely on a checklist of behaviors. There are no brain scans, x-rays, genetic or blood tests that can prove they are "mentally ill", yet these children are stigmatized for life with psychiatric disorders, and prescribed dangerous,life-threatening psychiatric drugs. Child drugging is a $4.8 billion-a-year industry. Get the facts about this multi-billion dollar industry that is labeling and drugging kids for profit." http://www.cchrint.org/psychiatric-disorders/

[video=youtube;Wv49RFo1ckQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wv49RFo1ckQ[/video]