Michael Sharpe skewered by @JohntheJack on Twitter

[Hoopoe]

People that made a joke out of the illness in the eyes of the public by portraying patients as essentially imagining an illness and not pushing themselves enough complain about unfair criticism and reputational damage.

 

[TiredSam]

But sadly David Tuller is paid to trash this research.

He's actually paid to research this trash.

 

[Joh]

 

[Indigophoton]

 

[Jonathan Edwards]

The other one has bells on.

 

[Joh]

And @TiredSam already found this gem and mentioned it in this thread but it's so good that I wanted to post the original.

 

[Andy]

But sadly David Tuller is paid to trash this research.

Actually, David's investigations weren't being funded by the patient community when he wrote his analysis of the PACE trial - so, yet again, we have an example of a PACE trial author misinterpreting facts to fit his version of reality.

 

[Inara]

Also, I don't know how 'directly' the PACE results are involved in some of that - anyone know of a child custody case that cited PACE to justify removal of a child?

Guidelines on Tiredness/CF cite PACE, and those guidelines are the basis of such actions, as is the entire dogma "it's primarily psychiatric" (which means there are many psychiatrists who will say in their assessment reports it's psychological, that the mother/father/whoever worsens the symptoms and that only CBT/GET/antidepressants work, and if you don't agree it's forced on you or your children; a judge will follow what psychiatric "experts" say).

 

[Indigophoton]

 

[Adrian]

I don't think Sharpe understands what is wrong. Maybe he really does believe that the paper explains everything and should convince people. But it seems that when outsiders look they pick holes and don't like the methodology.

 

[Invisible Woman]

I think he does understand, but he's just so used to people falling into line he's struggling to accept that people won't just agree with him to prop up the establishment.

It's increasingly obvious he is unable, or unwilling to see, or acknowledge any viewpoint that differs from his own.

 

[Daisybell]

I honestly think MS is incapable of acknowledging the flaws in the trial. It’s all embedded in his brain with big ‘ticks’ and now he can’t actually engage in any critical reflection or his head might explode. He feels persecuted and victimized and that is now his default position.

 

[Jonathan Edwards]

I think he does understand

I don't think he can. His whole speciality of liaison psychiatry?psychosomatic medicine is built on theories that do not take on board the fact that human nature brings bias into experiments. He shows a complete misunderstanding of human nature in his comments about David, his responses to Godwin and of course his attitude to patients over the years. But even someone who does not understand human nature should appreciate that we have double blind trials because the alternative, as in PACE, does not give meaningful results.

If he understood any of this he would not be making such a fool of himself in public. Nobody of importance who believes him is listening. Simon Wessely has quietly sneaked out.

 

[Allele]

Oh my goodness, it's Christmas again!

 

[TiredSam]

Ok. I can see you have your views.

He makes it sound like a crime.

Simon Wessely has quietly sneaked out.

Yes I noticed that. He's probably sitting in a corner somewhere working out how he can turn having dropped MS well and truly in it to his advantage.

 

[inox]

Classy diversion tactic MS, keep on showing us who you are.

Ehm... You, Sir, were paid to _produce_ this trash - so....?

 

[Allele]

No, Michael Sharpe, we did not pay David Tuller to trash you, we paid David to investigate and bring to the attention of the public and the relevant authorities the way you and your cronies have trashed the lives of pwme for 30 years by doing bad science.

This ^100

 

[Indigophoton]

Wessely re-engaged this evening,


I can't help thinking that "it didn't make much difference" because of the poor nature of the underlying model, and the quality of the methodology.

Edit: spelling

 

[Hoopoe]

Simon Wessely has quietly sneaked out.

I am wondering whether he formally minimized his involvement to protect himself, while letting others do the dirty work of carrying out a clinical trial that he knew was flawed and biased. He is credited as having advised them on clinical trial design.

 

[Jonathan Edwards]

I thought those early trials were 'you're too kind Michael, they were not really even trials, just treating some patients.'