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Does anyone recognise this reference?

ronddejambe

ronddejambe

Messages
25
Years ago, I think at the time of the Welfare Reform Bill going through, I'm sure I read something by a psychiatrist about how M.E gets one out of chores such as sex or housework (!).

I can't for the life of me remember who wrote it or find it online. I thought it might have been Wesseley and I vaguely recall it was in a report written by someone like Unum or someone connected to the insurance industry.

I want to refer to it in a blog post, so if anyone knows what I'm referring to or has a source for it, I'd be so grateful. I could just be inventing it in my foggy head but I really am sure I actually read it

Thank you!
 
V

Valentijn

Senior Member
Messages
15,786
ronddejambe said:
Years ago, I think at the time of the Welfare Reform Bill going through, I'm sure I read something by a psychiatrist about how M.E gets one out of chores such as sex or housework (!).
Click to expand...
There aren't a lot of professionals who get that disgusting, so it might be someone retired, or a non-professional.

Maybe Edward Shorter, though he's a Canadian historian who likes to pretend he knows anything about medicine or psychology. Ron Liddle is a nasty one as well, though is a supposed journalist and I don't know if he has any particular psych background. There was also a retired cardiologist from the US who did an ugly rant about ME benefits leeches and managed to take a swipe at MS as well, but I don't remember his name.
 
ronddejambe

ronddejambe

Messages
25
Thank you. The thing is as far as I recall it was in a report which people wouldn't have expected to be read very widely. So I can see someone being a bit more blunt than they might have been in a newspaper, for example.

This is driving me crazy. I'm sure I read it. I wish I'd made more effort to save it at the time.
 
Skippa

Skippa

Anti-BS
Messages
841
When I was at the CFS clinic (the official NHS one) I mentioned that washing the dishes and vacuuming were particularly troublesome becuase they take a toll on one's back causing weakness etc (to which a couple of other members agreed) and the occupational therpist thought it was hilarious to joke "well the other tasks are more enjoyable so it stands to reason". A few eyebrows were raised.
 
Cheshire

Cheshire

Senior Member
Messages
1,129
I don't know if it's what you're looking for, but it has some similarities.
Christopher Bass in Atos Magazine, "Symptoms that defy explanation", in 2004, talking about medically unexplained symptoms, in which he explicitelly includes ME:

*Warning! really upsetting*

Dr Bass said: “Psychosocial factors – such as personality, life events and psychiatric disorders – are at least as important as physical factors in the onset and maintenance of these conditions. Patients can make a number of ‘secondary gains’ with these unexplained illnesses, such as: work absence as a reward for years of struggle; turning a socially unacceptable disability in to a more acceptable ‘organic’ disability caused by injury or disease beyond their control. They can blame their failures on the illness; elicit care, sympathy and concern from family and friends; avoid work or even sex; and there are financial rewards associated with disability.”
Click to expand...

https://issuu.com/maxhead/docs/atos_conference_2004
 
ronddejambe

ronddejambe

Messages
25
Cheshire I think that might well be it. I'm sure it was someone like Atos who wrote it and that seems really familiar. Thank you.
It stuck out at the time that a secondary gain might be getting to avoid sex. It seemed so outrageous. It *is* outrageous.

Thank you everyone for your help.
 
shannah

shannah

Senior Member
Messages
1,429
From the UK and appears that he's written 179 articles over the years.

Looks like he's done a lot of damage!
 
I

Invisible Woman

Senior Member
Messages
1,267
Maybe he's basing this on his experiences with his own personal relationships. I love and fancy my partner. I would love to be able to have a more physical relationship. Mind you I'd love to be well enough to go back to work too, mind.
 
A

ash0787

Senior Member
Messages
308
Cant say this is enough to upset me, in fact its quite entertaining

" socially unacceptable disability " so he admits its a disability but he doesn't think it is acceptable for people with it to continue to live ?
 
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