Infographic: What is ME/CFS?

In The Scientist.
(not very long, with graphics)

I thought this was quite good (particularly for new possible post-covid pwME)

https://www.the-scientist.com/infographics/infographic-what-is-me-cfs-67806

 

I agree, but I don't agree with this:

"Because of the condition’s unclear pathology and root causes, the disease was long dismissed as a psychiatric illness by doctors and ignored by researchers."

I don't think it was dismissed as psychiatric until the psychologists came along!

 

It wasn't dismissed because of unclear pathology and root causes. All epidemics are full of unknowns when they first happen and the pathology remains unclear until research is done.

The most likely reason it was neglected initially was that no one wanted a new disabling virus when they had just conquered polio at last. As the epidemics were over interest was allowed to wane until it faded.

By the time of M&B it suited the times to have women painted as hysterics. Also the interest in eastern mysticism lead to an alternative view that the body was in perfect balance unless interfered with by bad thoughts.

When the BPS insurance consultants took an interest it made a lot of financial sense for the long term sick to be classed as psychological because payments were only made for a few years for those cases.

Then being psychological opened out the field of psychology from obvious mental health problems to the much wider, lucrative field of physical medicine leading to the free for all we have now.