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Psychiatric characteristics of older persons with Medically Unexplained Symptoms, 2020, Hanssen et al

Discussion in 'Other psychosomatic news and research' started by Andy, May 21, 2020.

  1. Andy

    Andy Committee Member

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    Full title: Psychiatric characteristics of older persons with Medically Unexplained Symptoms; a comparison with older patients suffering from Medically Explained Symptoms
    Journal page, https://www.cambridge.org/core/jour...ned-symptoms/9882B332D59AE93AFAD5CE4471598C9F
    Open access PDF, https://www.cambridge.org/core/serv...ffering_from_medically_explained_symptoms.pdf
     
    Last edited by a moderator: May 21, 2020
    Andy, May 21, 2020
    #1
    Invisible Woman, Hutan, Simbindi and 3 others like this.
  2. Keela Too

    Keela Too Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    WOW..... that word “therefore” in the conclusion carries a lot of weight.

    How about instead trying to explain their condition, and in that way reducing their psychological distress?
     
    Keela Too, May 21, 2020
    #2
    Milo, Invisible Woman, alktipping and 10 others like this.
  3. Sean

    Sean Moderator Staff Member

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    People carrying the burden of as yet unexplained and often debilitating physical symptoms have a higher level of psychological distress, but no higher level of psychiatric comorbidity.

    That doesn't look to me like evidence for any primary psychopathology, but rather just a normal reaction to a truly shitty situation, including endless unjustified and damaging psychopathologising by psychs desperately trying to justify their incomes and power.
     
    Sean, May 21, 2020
    #3
    Invisible Woman, rainy, alktipping and 18 others like this.
  4. Trish

    Trish Moderator Staff Member

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    It's an appalling conclusion. It's giving the green light to prioritising psych treatment over medical treatment for people like me, no matter what my symptoms. NO NO NO.
     
    Trish, May 21, 2020
    #4
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  5. rvallee

    rvallee Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    Hammer sees lots of nails
     
    rvallee, May 21, 2020
    #5
    Milo, Invisible Woman, Sean and 4 others like this.
  6. Hutan

    Hutan Moderator Staff Member

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    I started a post about circular thinking, and confirmation bias, and it being natural to be psychologically distressed when all around you deny your illness....
    But this paper is just the usual nasty stuff, we've seen it all before.

    Main thing of note, another clever acronym:
     
    Hutan, May 21, 2020
    #6
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  7. Hutan

    Hutan Moderator Staff Member

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    Last edited: May 21, 2020
    Hutan, May 21, 2020
    #7
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  8. Trish

    Trish Moderator Staff Member

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    Perhaps the title is more apt than they intended. This is a piece of creative fiction, not science.
     
    Trish, May 21, 2020
    #8
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  9. Hoopoe

    Hoopoe Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    Remember that somatoform disorder requires that the person is excessively preoccupied with symptoms. That means someone else decides whether a person is worried the right amount or too much. I don't know why someone would believe that they can tell whether a person is excessively preoccupied with symptoms because symptoms are by definition subjective.

    This is of course a very useful diagnosis to limit further medical investigation.
     
    Hoopoe, May 21, 2020
    #9
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  10. Mithriel

    Mithriel Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    Anyone who follows the cartoon adventures in Bloom County at https://www.facebook.com/berkeleybreathed

    knows that Opus is a lovable penguin who resembles a puffin and gives us comfort in stressful times.

    How dare they use his name as a tool of oppression!
     
    Mithriel, May 22, 2020
    #10
    ladycatlover, Hutan, Trish and 2 others like this.
  11. rvallee

    rvallee Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    Those questionnaires are all so super weird and loaded. They are tailored specifically to get the answers they want based on specific circumstances they can control. I have no idea how such obviously biased attempts at outcome-seeking have made it into common practice. There is simply no quality control in clinical psychology, none whatsoever. Frankly the entire field needs to start over from scratch.
     
    rvallee, May 22, 2020
    #11
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  12. rvallee

    rvallee Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    And if you don't worry enough despite the "complaints" then you're probably emotionally stunted with low affect or some other BS. Heads they win, tails we lose. Always. It's basically scripted with only one possible outcome.
     
    rvallee, May 22, 2020
    #12
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  13. Snow Leopard

    Snow Leopard Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    These factors on their own shouldn't explain the difference, hence we can strongly suggest there are participation biases in this study and the results are not representative of the general public.
     
    Snow Leopard, May 23, 2020
    #13
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