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"Chronic Fatigue Syndrome" by Chalder in The Wiley Handbook of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

JaimeS

Senior Member
Messages
3,408
Location
Silicon Valley, CA
OMG, people who are more ill, think they are more ill than people who are less ill. And people who are more ill have worse outcomes. Who would have thought?

I believe it was Jason et al that showed that the more severe the patient's symptoms, the less likely they were to believe in psychosomatic attribution. Que surprise, am I right? People naturally believe there's a limit on what the 'mind' can make the body do.

-J
 

Hutan

Senior Member
Messages
1,099
Location
New Zealand
Useful article if anyone needs reminding that the CBT model for CFS is annoying.

Yes, it sure is annoying if by annoying you mean:

*contributes to people with diagnosable conditions that aren't ME suffering needlessly and perhaps even dying as a result of their conditions
Where abnormalities are revealed on physical or laboratory investigation, further investigations can be helpful ... but should otherwise be limited to avoid the risk of iatrogenic harm.

*contributes to patients blaming themselves when the bogus treatments don't work and despairing, perhaps to the point of suiciding

*contributes to the family, friends and employers of the patient blaming the patient when the bogus treatment doesn't work, leading to the patient despairing, perhaps to the point of suiciding, or having to cope with little support

*contributes to governments being satisfied that there are useful treatments for ME and so not listening to calls for the research that might bring understanding about this disease, and treatments

*contributes to patients wasting their precious energy on treatments that don't work and engaging with therapists who aren't telling them what they are really thinking - perhaps to the point where the illness is made worse by attempts to follow bogus protocols

*contributes to patients and governments wasting much money on treatments that don't work

I could go on.. But yes, I'm annoyed.
 
Messages
20
Location
Northern Europe
I believe it was Jason et al that showed that the more severe the patient's symptoms, the less likely they were to believe in psychosomatic attribution. Que surprise, am I right? People naturally believe there's a limit on what the 'mind' can make the body do.

This is something I have told few doc's when they tell me about power's of mind. I just ask them submit blood sample and second at later time where they have raised their tyrosine level over normal range by their mind power. From the looks of their face I construct mind power only applies to patients :p
 

JaimeS

Senior Member
Messages
3,408
Location
Silicon Valley, CA
@Flash of Hope -- it's one of the psychosomatic school's more neat pivots.

It's only TRUE belief that can alter your, say, immune function. If you are a TRUE BELIEVER, then you can alter your immune function with the power of your negative thinking. When you alter your thinking to positive thinking then AND ONLY THEN can you be well.

They don't have the illness-beliefs that alter their immune function. That's why they can't do it. In order to change their immune function to make it bad, they would have to exercise the mystical power of NEGATIVE THINKING. They can't do that, they're too psychologically healthy.

This is the literal argument:

"...witchcraft / 'The Secret'."

-J