Simon Wessely: I am very proud of achieving absolutely nothing for people with (severe) ME

letter in the Spectator:
http://www.spectator.co.uk/politics/all/7204548/letters.thtml

Sir: I am pleased to read that Simon Wessely is ‘very proud of his achievements’.

Unfortunately even he admits that at least a third of patients do not respond to CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) or GET (graded exercise therapy). In fact this figure is likely to be much higher, as around a quarter of sufferers are housebound or bed-bound and therefore unable to access these treatments. And while the recent PACE trial showed some benefit to a small proportion of those involved, it only included those well enough to attend the hospital for appointments.

A similar trial (the FINE trial) which involved nurses carrying out treatment in the home of patients who are severely affected showed absolutely no benefit. In the light of this, and despite Simon’s hard work over the last 20 years, it is absolutely not surprising that the third of patients for whom these treatments do not work are demanding something more.

Twenty years is a long time to be housebound, cut off from the world with not even a glimmer of hope — their frustration is understandable. It is time to take a wider view of ME and expand research efforts to other specialist areas.

These people want more and they deserve more.

Dr Anna Wood
Glasgow


See also: Jan 2011, Spanish study shows that CBT and GET make things WORSE in ME/CFS !!! See also: Harvard Medical School: EEG spectral coherence data distinguish chronic fatigue syndrome patients from healthy controls and depressed patients
See also: The putative agent of ME/CFS can be transferred to monkeys
See also: Almost 5% of ME/CFS patients contracted ME/CFS from a blood transfusion
See also: Premorbid risk markers for growing nose syndrome in a large cohort of CBT psychiatrists
See also: Cerebrospinal fluid profiles can differentiate between Lyme disease, ME/CFS and healthy controls
See also: The main characteristic of ME is an abnormally delayed muscle recovery after doing trivial things, if you don't have that, you don't have ME