Letter, Re: The stress of life takes its toll, Daily Telegraph, 2 November 2011

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Your article about City Analyst, Simon (The stress of life takes its

toll, Daily Telegraph, 2 November 2011 -

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/8865148/The-stress-of-life-takes-its-toll.html\

)

which also acknowledges a number of other executives, including

Horta-Osorio, Chief Executive of Lloyds Banking Group, having to stand

down due to physical and mental exhaustion, illustrates how crucial it

is to distinguish between conditions of chronic fatigue, where the cause

can be seen to be overwork from which victims may be expected to be

cured by rest and then return to work and M.E. (Myalgic

Encephalomyelitis), which affects both sexes, all age groups, and social

classes, where there is most often no such cause and from which very few

ever recover normal working and social life, no matter how much they rest.

Although it is commonly claimed that M.E. is also known as Chronic

Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), principally by those whose careers, in research

or treatment, depend on it being so, they are not the same at all and

continuing as though they are is impeding progress towards recovery not

only for people with M.E. but other patients who have been thus

indiscriminately diagnosed. A step towards this recognition has been the

publication of International Consensus Criteria by 26 acknowledged

specialists from all parts of the world (Carruthers et al. 2011), which

may affect the employment prospects of those who still cling to Chronic

Fatigue Syndrome and give M.E. sufferers a better chance of recovery.

It's not hard to guess where they have received the warmest welcome and

where they have been largely ignored.

Yours sincerely

Dr H Greensmith

ME Community Trust.org