Interview with Professor Simon Wessely (The Times (UK), August 6) - needs replies

[oceanblue]

Any idea what study this refers to?

He discovered that by combining cognitive behavioural therapy and light exercise a third of patients make a full recovery.

Apart from that he seems to have been very careful to say amost nothin specific about the cause of the illness.

 

[Snow Leopard]

Any idea what study this refers to?

Apart from that he seems to have been very careful to say amost nothin specific about the cause of the illness.

His imagination. The audit of the Belgian clinics showed that activity levels did not change, thus we must be skeptical of claims of recovery.

 

[Dolphin]

His imagination. The audit of the Belgian clinics showed that activity levels did not change, thus we must be skeptical of claims of recovery.

And specifically:
http://www.kce.fgov.be/Download.aspx?ID=1223

89% of the rehabilitation interventions in the centres were stopped because of end of the RIZIV/INAMI reimbursement period; for 71% of the patients the team estimated that the maximal result for the patient had been reached, although no patient was considered to be totally cured.

Summary:

Treatment was ended in only 2.8% of the cases by the patient himself, so the motivation of the patients for the treatment seemed to be high. In 71% the team considered the patient to have reached his maximal capacity although no patient had been cured. Therapy provided systematically included CBT and GET. After treatment duration of 41 to 62 hours of rehabilitation per patient of which 83% group based, spread over 6 to 12 months, patients subjective feelings of fatigue were improved, but results concerning quality of life were equivocal. Psychological problems or psychiatric co-morbidities improved, but still fell outside the range of healthy adults. Physical capacity did not change; employment status decreased at the end of the therapy. It is difficult however, to judge these results, since no control group had been included.

 

[Enid]

drjohn - Liddle and now Marsh seem to be carrying on the PR banner for SW - if were fully factual I might even have read further - amazing what tricks to try to influence public opinion these journalists get up to. The biased BBC interview was carried out by Sarah Montague - originally employed by Liddle. Co-incidence ? May well backfire on them when people wonder why so many (from scientists to suffers) have been so opposed.

No more Times readership in these parts for blatant propaganda.

Thanks for the link drjohn.

 

[Sean]

He discovered that by combining cognitive behavioural therapy and light exercise a third of patients make a full recovery.

A claim he has made before. But where is the evidence supporting it?

Time for Prof Wessely to allow independent assessors access to his patients to objectively verify his claim.

 

[Enid]

Sounds good to me Sean - independent assessment of all his work.