Aus ABC: ME/CFS is all in our minds

[ahmo]

Very disappointing to listen to the generally-interesting All in The Mind radio broadcast guest blithely assert that the most common form imaginary (psychosomatic) illness takes in, eg. North America, is ME/CFS. Maybe she's a known entity here, neurologist Suzanne Sullivan, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London.

There's a transcript. Her bit starts at 1/2 way, the remarks about ME are probably in the last 10 minutes. A few people had posted responses before I got there. You might want to add your voice.

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/allinthemind/imaginary-illness/6847086

 

[Sea]

There's a long thread on her here.
http://forums.phoenixrising.me/inde...me-as-psychosomatic.37953/page-16#post-629493

She's written a book and seems she is traveling the world promoting it. I hope she goes away quickly.

 

[Sean]

Maybe she's a known entity here, neurologist Suzanne Sullivan, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London.

Her name has popped up on the forums before.

 

[SOC]

National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London.

That tells you everything you need to know.

And WTH does she know about North America? Doesn't she practice in the UK?

 

[drob31]

Another reason not to trust mainstream media. In the US 6 corporations control all of the media (on tv).

 

[minkeygirl]

UK seems to have a monopoly on idiots telling is its in our heads and therapy Will cure us. Or if we have some illness CBT and GET is the ticket.

 

[sarah darwins]

UK seems to have a monopoly on idiots telling is its in our heads and therapy Will cure us. Or if we have some illness CBT and GET is the ticket.

Once again, I feel the need to apologise on behalf of the UK :-(

 

[ahmo]

Another reason not to trust mainstream media. In the US 6 corporations control all of the media (on tv).

Unfortunately, this is our national broadcaster, always accused of 'left-wing bias'. Much of what they do is very good, but this is certainly not the only ill informed presentation.

 

[sillysocks84]

It's probably wrong but I think she needs to experience it.

 

[ahmo]

@sillysocks84 if only the whole lot of them became a cluster

 

[sillysocks84]

@sillysocks84 if only the whole lot of them became a cluster

Yes, how quickly there would be a cure or at minimum an effective management of disease state!

 

[TiredSam]

That tells you everything you need to know.

And WTH does she know about North America? Doesn't she practice in the UK?

She has to know about something before pronouncing opinions on it on the radio or in her book? Quick, somebody tell her - she seems completely unaware that that's the way it should work.

 

[Snow Leopard]

There is also this related article on the ABC website:
http://www.abc.net.au/radionational...ypochondria-and-psychosomatic-illness/6866448

No need to add any more comments on either article though, enough has already been said.

 

[TiredSam]

Crucially, O'Sullivan says the brains of people with psychosomatic illness process information differently to most people.
'So when we look at them with functional MRI ... we can see that different areas of the brain are highlighted in people who have psychosomatic illness compared with people who are perfectly well, and compared with people who are faking illness.

At first read I thought that might be a good idea, if I had the MRI it could prove that I didn't have psychosomatic illness. Then I realised that that would mean I had to be in one of the only other 2 categories - perfectly well or faking illness. People with biological illness don't seem to exist in her world.

And of course guess who would be interpreting the MRI result? Even tests for witchcraft 400 years ago were fairer - at least if you sank to the bottom of the village pond and drowned you could have "I told you I wasn't a witch" put on your gravestone - O'Sullivan's MRI test doesn't even give us the chance of a result as good as that.

 

[jimells]

Although dismayed at the lies O'Sullivan is spreading around the world, UK patients are grateful she has left the country, and hope she never returns to her clinic.