BBC article resignation syndrome in Sweden

[NelliePledge]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-41748485

this article currently most read on BBC website. Mentions pervasive refusal. Whiff of SMC??

 

[markielock]

I haven't been able to take in the whole article yet but wow, what a bizarre and horrendous situation. I wonder how much support and attention this gets in terms of research and funding.

 

[dreampop]

I read about this in the New Yorker, at the time some things about the story didn't quite sit and I wasn't sure I was getting an accurate picture.

 

[SilverbladeTE]

Bet you what's happening is they are being made sick either by an environmental difference from their homelands (it could be anything form low vitamin D caused by poor sunlight, to a common Swedish food having immune problems for a racial group who've not been used to whatever it might be and by the way, odd food problems HAVE happened before)
or
it's because of vaccinations to their new nation's standards.


the odds of this being psychological, so many, so extreme in a specific grouping...oh what utter PISH!!

 

[dreampop]

Bet you what's happening is they are being made sick either by an environmental difference from their homelands

No, it doesn't look like that, they are refugees from northern Europe countries, and only become sick, within days, upon the threat of deportation. And "apparently" only become better when permanent residency is granted.

I'll admit, it is the most psychosomatic looking disease on the surface I have ever seen, maybe the only one. The ironic thing is it would be the opposite of how conversion disorder is usually described. The patient is very aware of the specific trauma, and yet it manifests uniformly. They have widespread national support and sympathy. They also want something, permit residency, CFS/FM/IBS patients don't want anything, only to be healthy. I don't mean to sound cynical, just that I'm not taking the initial narrative for granted.

Part of my confusion is just how deeply political the diagnosis has been made by a group of liberal psychologists going back over a decade now. It is these pro-immigration psychologists that get the patients and then advise them the opposite of what other conversion disorders are told. I.e. they are encouraged to act sick because it's more likely to get them a temporary permit! - that's from the new yorker article, I can get quotes from it later, or are just treated as sick. Isn't that the opposite of how other psychosomatic diseases are treated in Sweden, to deny this sickness with CBT and then do GET!?

Some other things about the NY article, was the attempts to describe it as culture bound - they said it comes from certain countries where a snow white syndrome is part of the cultural and holistic folklore of those countries, but couldn't find any evidence of that when they looked at the home cultures of those countries (mostly eastern european). And it only affects kids, but presumably the parents are the ones who would be closer to the culture bound ideas.

And yet, this does apparently happen in Sweden, and I can't explain it. Would love to hear @alex3619 s thoughts.

 

[char47]

You guys beat me to it posting the article i was going to do it but not been up to it. My first thought was that whatever the accuracies, or not, of the psych interpretation of this problem, immigrant kids with very severe ME from the appropriate countries are hideously likely to get misdiagnosed with this.
My other thought was that i wonder whetehr the treatment given (when they are removed from their parents & taken to that treatment centre (a la Karina Hansen), does actually work or if it's just PR bullsh*t from the centre.... i mean if it does work (they talk about the kids being able to phone home after being entirely unable) & that is real, then ok maybe i would give the psych view some credibility, but i am extremely skeptical.
But regardless it just worries me so much for any Russian immigrant children who have the extreme misfortune to get ME in Sweden, because the prospects for them look horrific in light of this. I think of Karina, Ean Proctor, etc & i shudder.

Somebody needs to do a professional document highlighting the differences between the symptoms of very severe ME & this resignation syndrome, because any ignoramus dr will find it so easy to mistake one for the other!

 

[Cinders66]

You guys beat me to it posting the article i was going to do it but not been up to it. My first thought was that whatever the accuracies, or not, of the psych interpretation of this problem, immigrant kids with very severe ME from the appropriate countries are hideously likely to get misdiagnosed with this.
My other thought was that i wonder whetehr the treatment given (when they are removed from their parents & taken to that treatment centre (a la Karina Hansen), does actually work or if it's just PR bullsh*t from the centre.... i mean if it does work (they talk about the kids being able to phone home after being entirely unable) & that is real, then ok maybe i would give the psych view some credibility, but i am extremely skeptical.
But regardless it just worries me so much for any Russian immigrant children who have the extreme misfortune to get ME in Sweden, because the prospects for them look horrific in light of this. I think of Karina, Ean Proctor, etc & i shudder.

Somebody needs to do a professional document highlighting the differences between the symptoms of very severe ME & this resignation syndrome, because any ignoramus dr will find it so easy to mistake one for the other!

These children seem entirely uncommunicative and responsive. I only know in the very severe community one individual who is entirely and constantly like that. Most will be able to facially express or press a button or use eye movements to signal etc. There are times when someone with very severe ME will be unresponsive but it's very rare to be total and long lasting like this seems

I was surprised to see this as the kids where nappies and are tube fed.

 

[char47]

These children seem entirely uncommunicative and responsive. I only know in the very severe community one individual who is entirely and constantly like that. Most will be able to facially express or press a button or use eye movements to signal etc. There are times when someone with very severe ME will be unresponsive but it's very rare to be total and long lasting like this seems

I was surprised to see this as the kids where nappies and are tube fed.

Yes, we all would recognise the differences quite easily - hence my saying that someone should make a clear document pointing that out. But in view of the fact that ME is so often mistaken for pervasive refusal syndrome & the gross ignorance of so many drs i can see them easily getting confused or saying 'this child has resignation syndrome with atypical features' or something.