Radio interview with Martine MacCutcheon and Colin Barton 21st August 2017

[ladycatlover]

I guess it's another one of those very ill defined terms. On reflection, when people I know have used burnout in relation to design engineers I don't think it is the same thing at all ... More about losing creative ability and motivation. Retract my earlier statement!

I don't think you need to retract your statement. Creative ability and motivation are surely a part of the job for design engineers - you won't get much design done if you're lacking.

 

[boombachi]

I don't think Martine Mcutcheon is suffering with burnout. She has been ill for a very long time and burnout should resolve faily quickly. It is more likely that she experiences improvements which she attributes to whatever treatment or therapy she is doing at the time. I can't tell, you how many times I thought a particular diet or supplement had cured me. It is easy to mistake improvement for cure because I am so thrilled at feeling better. It doesn't last long. Maybe Martine experiences periods of remission.

I agree it is unfortunate that someone in the public eye is so uninformed but that is not her fault. She seems to appear somewhere every now and then to talk about how she is getting better and then dissappears again. That doesn't sound like someone who is recovered to me.

 

[arewenearlythereyet]

@arewenearlythereyet: this is why I asked for a more medically correct terminology for what many well respected members of PR speak of as burn out. And I'm not so sure it is derogatory? Sounds like a pretty valid analogy to me - just not for ME. But in fairness I'm not in a position to know if some people say it in a derogatory manner. I used it because I don't know what a better terminology is. I would only want to use an alternative name if there were some consensus, not merely opinion.

Yes and I took it that way @Barry53 certainly not a criticism of your good self . I would also like a definition of the term.....it is so general to be meaningless, which is why I am often drawn to the context in which it is used.

I was thinking mainly where I've seen it used elsewhere on other threads in addition to this one. I seem to be hearing it used more frequently. I'm asking myself ...is it a well known disease I'm not familiar with, or some colloquialism I've not heard of before?

I have looked online, but this just comes up with a load of old wives tales and psychology BS about working too hard and personality types! I can't find anything biological. I can't open the medscape thing @AndyPR since I don't have a meds cape account. On looking further though I did find that this was a term coined by a psychologist in the 1970s to describe a group of symptoms ...which was a big alarm bell going off in terms of whether this is a genuine thing or something made up.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0072470/#!po=7.14286


More importantly is how it's used. It mostly seems to be used as a way to shut down further enquiry. It certainly sounds derogatory when I hear it used most of the time. For example....." She clearly hasn't got ME she has burnout!". In this context I take this to mean that burnout (whatever it is) is somehow inferior and minor and relatively common. I'm still none the wiser as to what it is

If there is a real medical condition called "burn out" I am genuinely interested to understand what the origins are of such a crude description ...sounds a bit like "hysteria" to me....i.e. Generalised and outdated terminology.

 

[Valentijn]

I agree it is unfortunate that someone in the public eye is so uninformed but that is not her fault. She seems to appear somewhere every now and then to talk about how she is getting better and then dissappears again.

I disagree that it's not her fault. If someone chooses to speak publicly about an illness, as she has done repeatedly, they have a duty to know a bit about that illness. Too many people are happily wallowing in ignorance while basking in the limelight, and the rest of the patient community gets screwed as a result.

 

[boombachi]

Burnout was a term used a lot in the 80s to describe a psychological state in response to a period of prolonged stress. When expectations (either your own or someone else's ) exceed capability. Feeling low in energy slows you down and reduces racing thoughts. It seems like a good protective mechanism to me. Withdrawal allows the body to rest and clearing the mind will allow you to eventually focus on some problem solving. Some people need help with the problem solving bit and that is what counsellors are for.

People used to talk about certain professionals having a high burnt out rate. Social workers, teachers, city traders.... it is now more often called stress or depression and professions where burnout is high will emphasise or teach personal resilience factors (eg knowing your limitations and asking for help when needed).

It's not an illness but a normal response to stress.

 

[boombachi]

I disagree that it's not her fault.

I haven't listened to the broadcast but I have seen her on other stuff. She just talks about her experience. I can't find it in me to be negative towards her.

Colin Barton on the other hand has put himself in a position of leadership of a group claiming to support people with ME. I expect this serves his need for status more than a desire to help people.

 

[Esther12]

It seems like Maccutcheon has been having a confusing time, falling ill, getting quackery from Phil Parker, now a Lyme diagnosis (and we know that there are quacky Lyme tests out there taking advantage of people). And all while in the publinc eye in a strange way. It's not surprising she's said some things that we wish she had not. Best wishes to her, and hopefully she'll get some advice from someone who is sensible.

PS: Although I also agree that those speaking publy about these sorts of important issues do have some responsiblity to try to ensure what they're saying is reasonable. I think it's fair to have much lower standards for patients than those who are trying to make money from their claims of expertise though.

 

[Snowdrop]

and hopefully she'll get some advice from someone who is sensible.

That's only likely if she goes looking for it. My take on it is she is perfectly content to outsource that part of her life to experts. A bad choice since it's her health and it matters to her way more than some random expert more interested in her money.I also expect that they give her a way more optimistic view of things than is warranted. Considering the big life she leads it will seem as if she has so much more to loose and therefore is a scary proposition to be given a realistic view of what might be going on with her health.

As we all well know, that kind of positivity can seem to be very useful/helpful but it is inevitably short term and backfires in the long run. One needs to have a realistic sense of what is going on. Fluctuations in functioning can often be measured in years so it could take a while for the ball to drop, so to speak.

At the end of the day though I have no window into her life so may well be wrong.