They acknowledge a physical basis of ME, but like Prof Crawley have decided cortisol is a prime factor. She believes we can be cured by improved sleep hygiene in addition to the usual GET/CBT, but Aberdeen seem to have linked this to a disordered stress response which sounds like yet another attempt to 'biologize' the BPS approach, though I may have misunderstood.
The first thing that comes to mind is why are they focusing on ME rather than any other long term physical condition or even comparing different long term conditions. The write up suggests they believe there is something unique in relation to stress and ME, though rather than looking at the neurophysiology of that directly, which also would presumably require comparison with other disabling conditions such as MS, they are side tracking based on an unproven assumption about the nature of ME.
Without appropriate controls with other comparably disabling medical conditions they can make assertions about stress being a causal factor rather than a consequence of a disabling long term condition, or even medical misinformation and/or mismanagement, deliberately excluding potentially falsifying evidence. This may not be the intention, but if not I feel they are putting the cart before the horse.
Further what could we actually gain from saying the response of partners does or does not impact on someone with ME's stress level? Are they looking for an opportunity to include partners in CBT? Without addressing the impact of the grossly misleading information out there, including in relation to the understanding of the medical profession, will this tell us anything meaningful? Just saying 'it is the partners fault' extends the unhelpful blame game that blights so much management of ME already; so are partners to be made to feel guilty as well as ourselves?
