Reply to Facing life's traumas to help others (lee Mail, 17 June 2008)

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Reply to an article about Lynne Garnham, who has written a book after being

diagnosed with M.E. as well as long-standing stress-related illnesses (link

below my signature).

I am concerned that, the way this is written, it will be assumed that M.E.

ALWAYS a stress-related, or psychiatric, illness.

If anyone has the energy to reply, you should go to the online form here

http://www.peterleemail.co.uk/contactus.aspx

tick the box for Editor and make sure you say it is a letter intended for

publication.

Cheers

drjohngreensmith@...

*lee Mail Letters*.

Lynne Garnham is a very exceptional example of a person who has been

diagnosed with M.E. (*Myalgic Encephalomyelitis*) on top of her

long-standing stress related illnesses of anxiety and agoraphobia (*Facing

life's traumas to help others, lee Mail, 17 June 2008*).

The vast majority of people with M.E. started with a viral infection, like

glandular fever, chicken pox or pneumonia; or had a vaccination such as TB,

hepatitis, or polio; or were poisoned by some chemicals, perhaps in the

environment, or due to crop spraying but they did not have a history of

psychiatric illness.

It must not be assumed, therefore, either: that M.E. has a psychiatric

cause, or that M.E. causes symptoms of any psychiatric illness, for example,

clinical depression.

So, while a process of deconditioning, in which Lynne faced her fears, may

have helped her (though it doesn't work for everyone), it would not be

suitable for M.E. sufferers - what fear have they to face? - and it is

illogical to hope that Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), developed for

treating people with psychiatric illnesses, such as anxiety and depression,

will be of any value to them.

There is no evidence that CBT has any lasting benefit, without relapse, for

people with M.E. Contrary to the conventions of research, trials are still

going on while CBT is already recommended, a practice that would be quite

unacceptable, for example, in drugs testing.

The more intelligent, scientific, approach would be to properly publicly

fund biomedical research, to better understand the cause of M.E. in the hope

of suggesting an appropriate treatment, instead of adopting CBT as a

panacea, as this government has done because it is fashionable and cheap,

albeit unproven and generally ineffective.

Yours sincerely

drjohngreensmith@...

Dr H Greensmith

ME Free For All. org

Facing life's traumas to help others (lee Mail, 17 June 2008)

*http://tinyurl.com/4nv2yf*