Simon Wessely Didn't Want His e-Mail On A Blog - Here It Is on Hole Ousia

I actually asked to try Sertraline (Lustral) because of a recovery story in AfMEs mag 'Interaction'.
However, although starting at an incredibly low doseage (cut up the tablets supplied) I could not tolerate it at anywhere near a normal dose so gave up after a few months. Lucky escape maybe.

 

I prefer to be kind. In this case I was simply being honest.

 

A good friend who has ME was almost killed by the mal prescribing of psyche meds because the attending doctors assumed her severe ME crash was psychosomatic and that presumption was down entirely to Wessely's paradigm that ME is an aberrant illness belief.

And my husband had a severe ME crash from overdoing things which knocked his brain off (he has a lot of ME cognitive problems) and was prescribed benzos as he couldn't sleep. He was only on them for 3 days but they had a devastating effect, severe anxiety and agitation ( something he'd NEVER EVER had before or since). It took months to resolve all these symptoms, helped with seroxat on low dose for a few months. He's never had any mental health problems, ever, only when taking these drugs. It seemed to really knock his brain for six.

It is deeply shocking to read of Wessely and co blaming reactions to drugs as being MUS but I bet the drug companies are pleased, just like the health insurance companies and ME. How very convenient.

Medical abuse masquerading as science.

 

So...MAMaS? If they can come up with silly word things.......

 

Great succinct sound byte.

 

As in Bohemian Rhapsody " Mama(s), just killed a man......"

 

Was this based on Dr David Smith's daft proposal that an SSRI (usually Prozac but also often Lustral) combined with amitriptyline (or another tricyclic) could 'cure' his patients?

It seems popular with some BPS clinics, still. However, if patients didn't pace, this miracle cure would often stop working (by his own admission) and then they were forever doomed.

It seems to me the patients were likely just quietly buzzing off their nut (as the saying goes) and ignoring the underlying problem, until they inevitably pushed too far. I wonder how much follow-up he did and how many relapsed badly later on?

 

Controlling the narrative is Wessely's raison d'être.

 

Can't remember what it was based on (this was about 15 years ago); I vaguely remember it being the story of a mother and daughter. I'd have to try and find the relevant edition; although I'm not sure if I still have it as my GP had another patient that he wanted to show it to/try it on..........another example of the danger of AfMEs uncritical reporting of such 'cures'.

 

Absolutely. I think it's actually dangerous to publish unproven 'cures' of any kind, and a charity should seriously rethink such a strategy if it still goes on. Especially as their readers may be desperate to try anything.

 

Just had a mini trip down 'memory lane' with my pile of InterActions and the edition I was talking about is missing; but did spot that Dr Sarah Myhill used to reply to some of the dear doctor pages, and there was an interesting article on Charles Shepherd.

As for weird and wonderful treatments/cures, the magazines are full of them, plus a lot of still largely unanswered questions (from members) re AfMEs stance on CBT and psychological treatments/research in general.

 

I joined AFME when it started but Interaction had a different "cure" in every edition. When one said with confidence that the alignment of your bed was of paramount importance I left.

 

I keep my bed horizontal.

 

Relative to what fixed point? (e.g. Australia, a lorry delivering cheese in Mexico, the third sunspot from the top left etc.)

 

None of those things are fixed points, especially not the lorry. Relative to how I'm standing before I get into it.