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The i paper print two-page spread on how Prof Sharpe is being driven out of research by ME activists

Countrygirl

Senior Member
Messages
5,429
Location
UK
Today's i paper presents a two-page spread on p 32-33 on those crazy patients who, apparently, like Paul Watton and Anton Mayer, object to Prof Sharpe's work as it suggests that they are psychologically ill. (A nice bit of mis-reporting there, although Paul is denied a right of reply here.)

The paper informs its readers that professors are being forced to abandon their research into the condition (and yes, yuppie flu does get a mention in the top corner) which, apparently, is giving them sleepless nights as they worry that we are being deprived of the help they can give us. They are concerned that we are now going to lose out as their research is now stalled by the misbehaviour on social media which has so frightened the psychiatrists that they are abandoning their work.

The article introduces the activist-in-chief, David Tuller, who is photographed looking wistfully out of a window with his glasses dangling from his shirt collar. David's name is followed by a string of colourful descriptions of PACE which includes 'insane', mass delusion'........I can't spot the familiar 'pile of crap'........perhaps it would be too rich for the readers of the i. The i then informs its readers that (wink wink) patients have crowd -funded David to the tune of £66 000 to demolish PACE and the psychiatric lobby on their behalf.

Per Fink's woes inflicted by those ungrateful patients are then rehearsed; the X-ray machine installed by King's College to protect Sir Prof Wessely from being blown to bits by crazy ME patients gets a mention. Wessely is then quoted lamenting the tragedy of patients being denied the psychiatric evidence-based treatments on account of the campaign on social media.

Even worse, say 'scientists' the pressure has resulted in treatment guidelines being revised and a spokesman for NICE is quoted as complaining of the amount of lobbying to which they have been subjected.

At the end of the article, the reader will breathe a sigh of relief to at least learn that the wonderful NHS clinics who treat 8000 a year enable about 6000 to substantially improve with behavioural and psychological therapies. See, thinks the reader at this point..............it is psychiatric after all!
 

Celandine

Senior Member
Messages
201
Sickening. I just listened to a segment on Radio 2 this afternoon about how the government is considering wiping conversations and threads on social media from anti-vaxxers. Including that as part of the mandate of social media to prevent harm. I am not an anti-vaxxer by any means, but the idea that the government would prevent conversations about these things is something out of a post-apocalyptic novel. What else would be included in something like that. Criticism of the psychological offerings for ME, perhaps?
 

Hip

Senior Member
Messages
17,824
I am not an anti-vaxxer by any means, but the idea that the government would prevent conversations about these things is something out of a post-apocalyptic novel.

I don't think you have to worry too much about that, as governments are starting to realize that what ME/CFS patients, and researchers in the know, have been saying about the dubious theories and activities of the Wessely School group is valid and correct.

The Wessely School are not really scientists, but more of an evangelical group that promote their unevidenced Medieval ideas on how diseases are caused.

In Medieval times, people used to believe that illnesses were caused by being possessed by bad spirits; the Wessely School think illnesses are due to having bad thoughts.

There are only around a dozen or so Wessely School academics worldwide, but this tiny group somehow completely took over the world of ME/CFS, a world which includes 17 million ME/CFS patients.
 

Hip

Senior Member
Messages
17,824
Let's hope so, Hip. Certainly seems like the press in the UK is more than willing to promote their narrative.

Simon Wessely unfortunately is a board member at the Science Media Centre in the UK, and the SMC provides journalists with expert opinion on scientific matters. Thus Wessely is in a good position to bias and manipulate the media, and you find that the SMC are very supportive of CBT/GET and the PACE trial in their reporting, no doubt because of Wessely.

Furthermore, psychiatrists like Wessely and Sharpe I think are naturally adept at mentally manipulating and buttering up journalists, in order to make them write articles presenting the Wessely School psychiatrists in a good light.

I wrote a thread on that subject on another forum:
Are Wessely, Sharpe & Co psychologically manipulating gullible journalists into writing articles that present them in a good light?
 

Countrygirl

Senior Member
Messages
5,429
Location
UK
[QUOTE="Hip, post: 2192823, member: 249"

Furthermore, psychiatrists like Wessely and Sharpe I think are naturally adept at mentally manipulating and buttering up journalists, in order to make them write articles presenting the Wessely School psychiatrists in a good light.

I wrote a thread on that subject on another forum:
Are Wessely, Sharpe & Co psychologically manipulating gullible journalists into writing articles that present them in a good light?[/QUOTE]

Thanks @Hip. I have some personal experience of how Wessely operates. A friend of mine was circulating an article on ME which criticised Wessely in a journal . Wessely promptly contacted my friend and said he would sue him if he didn't destroy every copy of the article before the journal was circulated. My friend was very alarmed and had no doubt the threat would be carried out and so tore out every page that criticised Wessely. My friend was then rewarded by Wessely and was given a fellowship of King's where, of course, he was kept well under control. Very soon after he became Wessely's chief prophet.
 

Hip

Senior Member
Messages
17,824
Wessely promptly contacted my friend and said he would sue him if he didn't destroy every copy of the article before the journal was circulated.

That's quite a story, but I am not at all surprised by it, as this is the disturbing approach taken by Prof Sir Simon Wessely.

You have the similar thing with Ben Goldacre. Goldacre is dedicated to exposing bad medical science, and the bad science of the PACE trial would normally be an area he would pounce upon. But with Wessely being a mentor to Goldacre, Goldacre keeps schtum on all matters related to PACE and CBT/GET treatment for ME/CFS.
 

NelliePledge

Senior Member
Messages
807
they are having to up their game again as the Parliamentary Debates and recent Papers by Wilshere et al, David Tullers work is raising the stakes

all the more reason for people with ME to support David Tullers crowdfunding for 2019/20
 

nyanko_the_sane

Because everyday is Caturday...
Messages
655
Yes, Wessely and company got their collective feelings hurt because they got called on their research results. I very much doubt any real science will be impacted by all these "woe is me" pieces. The day we all decide to take it in the rear lying down will be a sad day indeed, that is unless you like that sort of thing.