New trial for couples with ME: partner to collude with therapist to ensure compliance

[Countrygirl]

This is a worrying piece of research on a par with the new Shopping Bag Therapy from Bath...........just more dangerous and without the comical overtones.. Now the patient's nearest and dearest is to be trained to push the sick person into complying with the demands of the therapist.

It is a new twist on CBT therapy which apparently they must be finding inot terribly successful for a condition which has exteme tiredness as its main symptom. ( Not sure I actually recognise what condition that is supposed to be as I am only famiiar with ME..............I have a hunch though..............)

Obviously they have drawn the conclusion that perhaps echos Alison Wearden's failed FINE trial, the sister of PACE, where 'the bastards don't want to get well,' Here they are planing to train the partner of the patient to collude with the therapist to ensure that the sick partner fulfils the requirements. It sounds like grounds for divorce to me.


https://www.ukctg.nihr.ac.uk/trials...offset%22%3A25%2C%22openurl%22%3A%22yes%22%7D


A couple-based psychological intervention for chronic fatigue syndrome

Summary

Background and study aims
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a condition mainly associated with extreme tiredness that can cause significant levels of disability. Managing life with CFS can be challenging, and people with CFS are at increased risk of experiencing depression and anxiety, with their partners also reporting higher rates of emotional distress. Relationships can interact with physical and mental health in several ways.

However, fatigue and other symptoms experienced by this patient group can make CBT, which is quite an ‘active’ therapy, quite difficult to engage in.For these reasons, it is believed that involving partners in a constructive manner in a psychological intervention for patients affected by CFS could enhance the effectiveness of the intervention and prove beneficial to partners. Therefore, the aim of this study is to develop a cognitive behavioural couple-based therapy (CBCT) for people with CFS and their partners to explore the effectiveness of the intervention in a group of 10 couples.

Self-reported symptoms of anxiety, depression and general functioning will be collected at every contact, and deteriorations on any of these measures will be discussed as part of treatment and addressed as appropriate. Risk will be monitored throughout the study, and risk management plans will be made and amended as appropriate. This may include onward referral to other services.

 

[alkt]

so basically your to ill to work you live in a household that depends on your partners income and they want your partner to take unpaid time of work so they can brainwash you with their outright bs .

 

[hixxy]

I'd be surprised if a majority of people disabled with CFS even have partners.

 

[alkt]

I'd be surprised if a majority of people disabled with CFS even have partners.

probably not especially when we get it at a young age. but they will then do it to anyone who cares for you parent guardian etc you know how they like to infer that mothers prolong their childrens suffering with this disease . more bs

 

[CFS_for_19_years]

I hope they've also included money to pay for therapy that will be needed to mend these relationships once the trial is over. It seems it will just add more stress to relationships that are already stressed enough due to dealing with ME.

 

[alex3619]

Umm, can anyone predict marriage break-ups from this?

 

[Intuition]

Ugh. Every time I see CBT mentioned with CFS I just get so infuriated. Im sure there are a significant group of us who have secondary depression and CBT will help with that. But for the primary illness itself, hell no. I really wish investigators will stop reopening the psych casket.

 

[alex3619]

Im sure there are a significant group of us who have secondary depression and CBT will help with that. But for the primary illness itself, hell no. I really wish investigators will stop reopening the psych casket.

The problem is the CBT on offer for treating CFS and ME is not like the usual CBT. Classical CBT might help some ME patients cope better, but that is all its designed to do. It does not do miracles. The CBT claimed to treat ME is a claim to miracles, and a very different type, similar to that used to treat phobias.

 

[Runner5]

So when they have the flu or strep throat or break their leg -- do they just call up their therapist to talk them through it? I want them to have 100% commitment to their BS.

 

[Diwi9]

The problem is the CBT on offer for treating CFS and ME is not like the usual CBT. Classical CBT might help some ME patients cope better, but that is all its designed to do. It does not do miracles. The CBT claimed to treat ME is a claim to miracles, and a very different type, similar to that used to treat phobias.

True, the premise is based on exposure therapy...because all of us ex-athletes suddenly developed maladaptive exercise avoidance This is a ridiculous concept since we all know we overdo it and pay the price, but I suppose the consequences are explained away as false illness beliefs...we are an imaginative group. Psychology has an interesting way of neatly explaining things for which there is no evidence, and yet the explanations become dogmatic. Apparently, the more times something is repeatedly stated, the truer it is. And yes, I'm being facetious here.

 

[IThinkImTurningJapanese]

The problem is the CBT on offer for treating CFS and ME is not like the usual CBT.

That's it.

 

[alex3619]

Psychology has an interesting way of neatly explaining things for which there is no evidence, and yet the explanations become dogmatic.

Hence the idea of nonscience and psychobabble. When its argued as scientific its pseudoscience. However for clinical practice I am starting to call it psychoquackery.

 

[Sad Dad]

I feel sorry for the patients who are going to be participants. In the greater scheme of things, however, maybe if the patients actually have to do what their therapists tell them every day, it will prove CBT does more harm than good.

 

[alex3619]

I feel sorry for the patients who are going to be participants. In the greater scheme of things, however, maybe if the patients actually have to do what their therapists tell them every day, it will prove CBT does more harm than good.

The PACE trial should have done that too. Instead the methodological choices led to results that are claimed to prove it is a wonder treatment, with up to 60% recovery according to the most extreme claims made about it. The real story is the patients got worse or did not improve, aside from maybe a very small minority. Also they have the fallback position of blaming the patients, because its obvious they did not try hard enough.

Now a less biased trial that proves it does not work ... try the FINE trial. Yet we almost never hear about that.