BPS attempts at psychologizing Long Covid

Re: cultural illnesses, a bit off topic. I came across this article in the Journal of the Swedish Medical Association (2019), suggesting that gender dysphoria is a cultural illness:

Ökningen av könsdysfori hos unga tarvar eftertanke
https://lakartidningen.se/klinik-oc...en-av-konsdysfori-hos-unga-tarvar-eftertanke/
Auto-translate said:
What is causing the increase?

What could explain the increase in gender dysphoria in young people? Reasons often cited include increased access to information via the internet, reduced stigma and the removal of the requirement for sterilisation in the case of gender reassignment in Sweden. All are implausible. Internet use was widespread in 2007, media coverage of transsexualism has been extensive for decades, we found high tolerance of transsexuals as early as 2000 [6], and the increase in the number of young people with gender dysphoria is seen internationally [7].

One alternative is culture-bound psychological contagion. If people in their early teens are encouraged to think about their gender identity and are taught that gender dysphoria is a normal variant, it is not unlikely that some young people will direct their identity search towards gender identity. Such seeking can spread rapidly through social networks, as has been described for a number of other phenomena such as bulimia, suicide (increased by the suicide of known people or someone one knows), smoking, obesity and others [8].

The increased use of social media coincides in time with the rise of gender dysphoria [9] and may have facilitated the spread in social networks. Autism spectrum disorders appear to be more common in people with gender dysphoria [10], and may be people who are more sensitive to such influences.
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mango said:
Re: cultural illnesses, a bit off topic. I came across this article in the Journal of the Swedish Medical Association (2019), suggesting that gender dysphoria is a cultural illness:

Ökningen av könsdysfori hos unga tarvar eftertanke
https://lakartidningen.se/klinik-oc...en-av-konsdysfori-hos-unga-tarvar-eftertanke/
Click to expand...
That's actually not off topic at all for a forum about ME. The psychosomatic approach can connect it all for us.
Have you read this blog in the medical newspaper Dagens Medisin from 2018?
Kjønnsdysfori - den nye ME?
google translation Gender dysphoria - the new ME?

Quotes:

A persistent search for imaginary somatic explanations can bring patients into long-term symptoms, as we see with ME. The hypothesis is then that the perception of the disease stands in the way of treating the cause of the symptoms.

Based on my views above, I have long thought that the ME epidemic will eventually culminate and be replaced by another, socially infectious condition. An article in Aftenposten was therefore thought-provoking. Here, Anne Wæhre and Kim Alexander Tønseth at Rikshospitalet claim that Norway has an "explosive increase" in the number of teenagers who are dissatisfied with the gender of their own body. The condition can be called gender dysphoria or gender incongruence.

...
https://translate.google.com/transl...iansen/2018/04/24/kjonnsdystrofi--den-nye-me/
There is every reason to take teenagers' experiences and feelings seriously, not least because people with gender dysphoria have an increased incidence of mental illness. The question, however, is whether gender dysphoria is the cause or a consequence of mental illness. The National Institute of Public Health's reports on mental illness and disease give little reason to believe that the incidence is increasing. It is of course conceivable that stronger desires for gender reassignment among young people are only an expression of the fact that the topic is less taboo than before. My hypothesis, however, is that the explanation is social infection. Gender dysphoria "infects" in the same way as railway spine and ME. https://translate.google.com/transl...iansen/2018/04/24/kjonnsdystrofi--den-nye-me/
 
Kalliope said:
That's actually not off topic at all for a forum about ME. The psychosomatic approach can connect it all for us.
Have you read this blog in the medical newspaper Dagens Medisin from 2018?
Kjønnsdysfori - den nye ME?
google translation Gender dysphoria - the new ME?
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:wtf::grumpy: I hadn't read it, thank you.

By the way, do you by any chance remember who coined the phrase "the ME epidemic"? Did the "ME epidemic" bps narrative start in Norway?
 
mango said:
:wtf::grumpy: I hadn't read it, thank you.

By the way, do you by any chance remember who coined the phrase "the ME epidemic"? Did the "ME epidemic" bps narrative start in Norway?
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I think this was the first time it was used. In an opinion piece by Lightning Process coach Live Landmark from 2017 titled "Norway has an ME epidemic".
https://www.aftenposten.no/meninger/debatt/i/0R0WM/norge-har-en-me-epidemi-live-landmark

Google translated quote:
The harmful attitude of a mysterious disease without a cure is reinforced by some politicians, doctors and patient associations. The Norwegian Directorate of Health does little to counter this. But they have a responsibility for the public understanding of reality, because it affects patients and relatives, but also therapists. Ideas are known to be contagious.


Look over to our neighboring countries, and ask the question; why has Norway got an ME epidemic? Figures from the National Patient Registers show that Norway has several hundred young people who are diagnosed each year, and more and more are receiving it. According to NRK, we had a fivefold increase in a few years, while Sweden and Denmark apparently stand still. What can we learn from our neighbors?
 
Kalliope said:
That's actually not off topic at all for a forum about ME. The psychosomatic approach can connect it all for us.
Have you read this blog in the medical newspaper Dagens Medisin from 2018?
Kjønnsdysfori - den nye ME?
google translation Gender dysphoria - the new ME?

Quotes:

A persistent search for imaginary somatic explanations can bring patients into long-term symptoms, as we see with ME. The hypothesis is then that the perception of the disease stands in the way of treating the cause of the symptoms.

Based on my views above, I have long thought that the ME epidemic will eventually culminate and be replaced by another, socially infectious condition. An article in Aftenposten was therefore thought-provoking. Here, Anne Wæhre and Kim Alexander Tønseth at Rikshospitalet claim that Norway has an "explosive increase" in the number of teenagers who are dissatisfied with the gender of their own body. The condition can be called gender dysphoria or gender incongruence.

...
There is every reason to take teenagers' experiences and feelings seriously, not least because people with gender dysphoria have an increased incidence of mental illness. The question, however, is whether gender dysphoria is the cause or a consequence of mental illness. The National Institute of Public Health's reports on mental illness and disease give little reason to believe that the incidence is increasing. It is of course conceivable that stronger desires for gender reassignment among young people are only an expression of the fact that the topic is less taboo than before. My hypothesis, however, is that the explanation is social infection. Gender dysphoria "infects" in the same way as railway spine and ME.
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Ironically, it's those bizarre beliefs that are socially contagious. Linking ME and gender dysphoria is really galactic brain level of not understanding either.

And sure, ME will just disappear any day now. Totally. Just like there "used to be" fibromyalgia and chronic Lyme. Those are totally gone. Totally replaced by other things. Sure thing buddy.
 
Kalliope said:
I think this was the first time it was used. In an opinion piece by Lightning Process coach Live Landmark from 2017 titled "Norway has an ME epidemic".
https://www.aftenposten.no/meninger/debatt/i/0R0WM/norge-har-en-me-epidemi-live-landmark

Google translated quote:
The harmful attitude of a mysterious disease without a cure is reinforced by some politicians, doctors and patient associations. The Norwegian Directorate of Health does little to counter this. But they have a responsibility for the public understanding of reality, because it affects patients and relatives, but also therapists. Ideas are known to be contagious.


Look over to our neighboring countries, and ask the question; why has Norway got an ME epidemic? Figures from the National Patient Registers show that Norway has several hundred young people who are diagnosed each year, and more and more are receiving it. According to NRK, we had a fivefold increase in a few years, while Sweden and Denmark apparently stand still. What can we learn from our neighbors?
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Thank you so much! Very helpful, I really appreciate it :)
 
Re: cultural illnesses. Here's a long Swedish article about resignation syndrome ('sleeping beauty' illness, apathetic asylum-seeking children), framing it as a cultural illness. The article takes a close look at what defines cultural illnesses, the history of cultural illnesses, the role of mass media etc. It was published in 2019 and has had quite a lot of influence I believe, has been cited in books etc. ME is briefly mentioned.

Apatiska barn är en kultursjukdom
https://kvartal.se/artiklar/apatiska-barn-ar-en-kultursjukdom/

Google Translate, English
Auto-translate by DeepL.com said:
A debate has been raging as to whether the "apathetic children" are malingerers or not. But they should rather be regarded as victims of a cultural illness , says paediatrician Karl Sallin. This does not rule out the possibility of malingering.

Cultural illnesses have appeared many times throughout history. They are not volitional and are shaped by the fact that there is a secondary gain from the illness, which means that there is something positive about that particular way of being ill.

Legitimisation through medical diagnosis and media reporting are important factors in the emergence and spread of cultural illnesses.

In order to stop cultural illnesses, it is important that those affected can leave their sick state without losing face. But it is only when residency ceases to be part of medical treatment that new cases will cease, Sallin writes.
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Modern manifestations are all more or less controversial, but fibromyalgia, electrosensitivity, ME and gender dysphoria, for example, bear some of the hallmarks of a cultural illness.
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For those of you interested in the scientific evidence of the diagnosis resignation syndrome, there's a post here.
 
What strikes me about BPS perspectives is that they are indistinguishable from demagoguery in the way these ideas consist of the blatant projection of thinly disguised pejorative stereotypes which are contrived to sympathise with the frustrated imperatives of authorities i.e. demagogic toadying.

These stereotyped perspectives are contrived to encourage decision makers into making the megalomanic mistake of believing the thwarting of their best intentions is a wilfull act of insubordination and to undermine sympathy and justify an emotional response of social aggression against the objectified stereotype. Thereby they seek to undermine accountability and encourage abuse of power.

Empirical science does not generate stereotypes, it generates useful facts.

The stereotypes the BPS gang employ are not based on empiricism at all, nor rationalism, its all about Machiavellian toadying to "The Prince" and jobs for the gang.
 
The toxicity of the BPS psychiatric approach also generates distress and hostility in patients. Which is then cited as evidence that the patients need to be managed by psychiatrists.

They cause psychiatric problems instead of solving them.

Apparently their brand of psychiatry is primarily concerned with controlling and suppressing people at the margin of society so that they do not bother the rest of society too much - under the pretext of "helping" them.
 
Kalliope said:
The Norwegian newspaper Bergens Tidende has a paywalled article today about rehabilitation of Covid-19 patients at the institution "Health in Hardanger" (Helse in Hardanger).

Specialist in heart- and lung physiotherapy, Bente Frisk, says in the article that there aren't any large studies, but they see that Covid-19 patients improve by adapted exercise.

The institution was recently established to offer short term stay and interventions for people with anxiety/depression, back pain, Diabetes 2 or problems with breathing. The clinic is inspired by a "successful 4 day intervention for anxiety".

They've now expanded to offer rehabilitation for "post-Covid, difficulty with breathing and fatigue".

Senior doctor Marte Jürgensen says to Bergens Tidende:



Marte Jürgensen has been in the paper before. She is the 2. leader of Recovery Norge. She is a psychiatrist and was diagnosed with ME and a participant in the RituxME trial. She dropped out of the trial and went to psychiatrist Bjarte Stubhaug who has a CBT/GET/Mindfullness intervention for ME and she recovered fully.

Bjarte Stubhaug's approach is discussed thoroughly in a thread about a trial from him titled: A 4-day mindfulness-based cognitive behavioural intervention program for CFS/ME.

A co author of that study, Gerd Kvale, is one of the main inventors of the "successful 4 day intervention for anxiety".

This is what Health in Hardanger write on their website (google translated) about the Covid-19 rehabilitation:
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A promotion article today in the Norwegian public broadcaster about this resort.

It sounds just as bad as I had feared.

NRK: Ingerid fekk korona. Då ho var tilbake i klasserommet, hugsa ho ikkje namnet på elevane
google translation: Ingerid had corona. When she was back in the classroom, she didn't remember the names of the students

Marte Jürgensen is a psychiatrist and group leader for the new pilot project.

- Perhaps as many as 20 percent of those who have had corona struggle long after the disease is over. That is why there is a great need for this type of treatment, she says.

The treatment is short and intensive, over three days.

...

At the treatment center located in Øystese, patients first get to check their physical health through various tests.

This way they can be sure that there is nothing physical in the way of being active and "pushing themselves", Frisk explains.

Patients are taught about coronary heart disease and how it affects the lungs and the body in general. In addition, they get good exercises to strengthen both body and mind.

- Some need help to change a thought pattern, says Jürgensen.

...

- Those who do not receive treatment for the late-onset ailments do not return to work or study. Only it has major socio-economic consequences and not least major consequences for the individual, says physiotherapist Bente Frisk.

Helse Bergen now hopes that they can be an inspiration for other health trusts that will establish similar treatment offers.
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Interestingly there's an article today in a medical newspaper about few post covid-19 patients being referred to rehabilitation. Don't know the reason for this, but perhaps GPs and Long Covid patients are learning that classic rehabilitation might not be the best approach for everyone?

Dagens Medisin: Rehabilitering etter covid-19: Forundret over "pasienttørke"
googel translation: Rehabilitation after covid-19: Surprised at "patient draught"

I worry about those who have survived a covid-19 infection in the home, without having been in contact with the health service, and without having recovered afterwards, says Jon Ivar Sørland, head of the Regional Coordinating Unit (RKE) in Health South East.

- We are a little unsure whether these patients have received an assessment of rehabilitation needs by their GP. The experience with other viral diseases is that things improve with time. But when it comes to the coronavirus, all available knowledge shows many have great needs in the time afterwards.
...

- Many who call us have been told to wait and see, but it will be too passive in the meeting of this disease, which we know can have major consequences.
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Not sure whether this is a good fit here or not.

https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(21)00356-6/fulltext

ORIGINAL ARTICLE|ARTICLES IN PRESS
Post COVID-19 Syndrome (Long Haul Syndrome): Description of a Multidisciplinary Clinic at the Mayo Clinic and Characteristics of the Initial Patient Cohort
Published:
May 11, 2021
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2021.04.024

This paper is only available as a PDF. To read, Please Download here.
Abstract
Objective
To describe characteristics of a series of patients reporting prolonged symptoms after an infection with COVID-19.
Methods
This study describes the multidisciplinary COVID-19 Activity Rehabilitation Program (CARP), established at Mayo Clinic to evaluate and treat post-COVID-19 syndrome (PCS) patients, and reports the clinical characteristics of the first 100 patients receiving evaluation and management during the timeframe of June 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020.
Results
The cohort consisted of 100 patients (mean age 45 years, 68% women, BMI 30.2, presenting a mean of 93 days after infection). Common pre-existing conditions were respiratory (23%) and mental health, including depression and/or anxiety (34%.) The majority (75%) had not been hospitalized for COVID-19. Common presenting symptoms ware fatigue (80%), respiratory complaints (59%), and neurologic complaints (59%) followed by subjective cognitive impairment, sleep disturbance, and mental health symptoms. More than one-third of the patients (34%) reported difficulties with performing basic activities of daily living. Only 1 in 3 patients had returned to unrestricted work duty at the time of the analysis. For most patients, laboratory and imaging studies were normal or non-diagnostic despite debilitating symptoms. Most patients required physical therapy, occupational therapy, or brain rehabilitation. Face-to-face and virtual care delivery modalities were feasible.
Conclusion
Many of the patients did not experience COVID-19-related symptoms that were severe enough to require hospitalization, were younger than 65 years of age, more likely to be female, and most had no pre-existing comorbidities prior to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Symptoms including mood disorders, fatigue, and perceived cognitive impairment resulted in severe negative impacts on resumption of functional and occupational activities in patients experiencing prolonged effects.
List of abbreviations:
Post COVID Syndrome (PCS), Positional orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), Activities of daily living (ADL), Physical Therapy (PT), Occupational Therapy (OT), COVID Activity Rehabilitation Clinic (CARP), Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), Infection resulting from SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), Polymerase Chain Reaction test (PCR), Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome ME/CFS (Severe acute respiratory syndrome SARS), Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS)
 
Hopefully...they might decide that if the tests don't show anything on patients, who are clearly affected, that this time...it might not be the patients that are at fault.

That it might be the tests they are running, and to maybe do something else.

But...it is the Mayo clinic, so that seems a bit unlikely.
 
From February, so perhaps discussed here before

Evaluating Patients Post COVID-19
RESOURCES AND TRAINING FOR PROFESSIONAL USERS OF THE AMA GUIDES

This is one of the references, but I don't know what part links to it:

  • Larun L, Brurberg KG, Odgaard-Jensen J, Price J.R. Exercise therapy for chronic fatigue syndrome. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2017;4:.pmid: 28444695 And National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Statement about graded exercise therapy in the context of COVID-19. In: Myalgic encephalomyelitis (or encephalopathy)/chronic fatigue syndrome: diagnosis and management (in development GID-NG10091). 2020. https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD003200.pub8/full
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Kalliope said:
A promotion article today in the Norwegian public broadcaster about this resort.

It sounds just as bad as I had feared.

NRK: Ingerid fekk korona. Då ho var tilbake i klasserommet, hugsa ho ikkje namnet på elevane
google translation: Ingerid had corona. When she was back in the classroom, she didn't remember the names of the students



Interestingly there's an article today in a medical newspaper about few post covid-19 patients being referred to rehabilitation. Don't know the reason for this, but perhaps GPs and Long Covid patients are learning that classic rehabilitation might not be the best approach for everyone?

Dagens Medisin: Rehabilitering etter covid-19: Forundret over "pasienttørke"
googel translation: Rehabilitation after covid-19: Surprised at "patient draught"
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Click through for full thread


Can any of our Scandinavian members who are on Twitter help this person out?
 
Andy said:
Click through for full thread


Can any of our Scandinavian members who are on Twitter help this person out?
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I think information has to come from sources that healthcare care personell trust. ME advocates here are not such a source, and we'd probably just be blamed for being alarmist and CAUSING Long Covid. Thankfully there are good information sources as Long Covid Physio's website and the recent excellent JOSPT-editorial on Long Covid, ME, PEM and rehabilitation. I try to share them widely and also sent them to the editor of a journal for physiotherapists who promised to look into it to see if they could do an article. A good article in Norwegian on these issues from a trusted source for HCP would be splendid to share in order to increase awareness of PEM in Long Covid.
 
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