The prevalence and treatment of health anxiety in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) - Jo Daniels 2018

Presentation (PDF Available) · July 2018 with 37 Reads
DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.29883.52009
British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, DOI:10.13140/RG.2.2.29883.52009

https://www.researchgate.net/public...ealth_anxiety_in_Chronic_Fatigue_Syndrome_CFS

10 patients.
This is the Dr Jo Daniels on the NICE guidelines committee(?)

 

As usual poor statistics. Drop outs should be counted in the final figures as failures. They must have been extremely mildly affected to be better after 5 sessions of CBT.!!!!!

 

Yes. I mentioned this in the document where I've summarized information about the committee members. it can be found here: https://www.s4me.info/threads/information-about-nice-committee-members.6625/

 

Your document is only visible to members, so I thought I'd 'highlight' a few for the 'general public'.
(note when I do this(?) it is usually rhetorical/sarcastic)

 

I've uploaded a copy of the health anxiety questionaire they used for everyone to look at but here are some of of the statements on the questionaire that indicate high health anxiety;

I worry a lot about by my health.

I am aware of aches and pains in my body constantly

I constantly see images of myself being ill

I usually think I am seriously ill

I am not relieved when the doctor reassures me that nothing is wrong.

I can see how these would indicate health anxiety in some one who was healthy and able to work but anyone who had a chronic illness would score highly on these questions.

Also apparently fear of going to the doctors or having treatment in a hospital indicate hypochondriacal tendencies and are not a completely understandable reaction to the poor treatment CFS/me patients receive.

This is why I hate self report questionnaires internal consistency and reliability mean f**k all if you don't bother to check that they are measuring what you think they are measuring.

 

The idea that we have health anxiety is a no-brainer.

The idea that our illness is due to health anxiety and can be cured with five sessions of CBT is also a no-brainer... in a very different sense of the phrase.

 

Cool. Now do other diseases, see how they compare.

Or don't, because it's all subjective anyway so doesn't really tell us anything useful.

 

It is interesting to compare and contrast the present paper with this one from 1991

Journal of Infection (x99I) z3, 263-269

Biopsychosocial aspects of chronic fatigue syndrome (myalgic encephalomyelitis)

J. D. I. Yeomans* and S. P. Conwayt * Department of Psychiatry, Roundhay Wing, St James's University Hospital, Beckett St, Leeds LS9 7 TF and t Department of Infectious Diseases, Seacroft Hospital, York Road, Leeds LSI4 6UH, U.K.
sci-hub.tw/10.1016/0163-4453(91)92864-2#


Summary

Fifteen patients, with a primary complaint of chronic fatigue, were referred to a physician by their general practitioners. Psychological distress, measured by simple psychiatric rating scales was common, but specific psychiatric diagnoses, derived from a comprehensive diagnostic interview, occurred less frequently. One questionnaire (Montgomery-Asberg depression rating scale) found emotional distress in 93 %, but the diagnostic instrument (Present State Examination) suggested depressive syndromes in only two patients (I3 %). There were significant occupational difficulties in 87 %. No consistently abnormal indices of biochemical or immunological function were found, nor evidence of acute or chronic infection. Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is associated with physical, psychological and social distress. The illness cannot be defined using just one of these dimensions. Such a unilateral approach has resulted in unnecessary controversy over the nature of the 'real' core of CFS. A problem- oriented approach, recognising the multi-factorial and overlapping cause and effect issues in CFS, may be of more benefit to patients

It does appear that in 1991 there were alternative routes down which a biopsychosocial approach to psychiatry might have proceeded.

 

Really? The thread is open to non-members, no? Or is it because only members can download documents?

 

Well blow me down - surely if you have a "medical complaint" it's only natural to be anxious about your health? Oh, of course not, you should believe the docs can make you better ("Just like that" as Tommy Cooper would have said). So hardly surprising it's common in CFS. And they call this research?

What a waste of funds.

 

Ye and she will have that bag under the table at the NICE review ready to hand out some ready made delights.

 

What am I misunderstanding here. To me the first sentence seems to be saying all the participants had an anxiety score > 18 and all had CFS. The second sentence see to be saying the same thing except 42% not 100%. I know I'm misreading this but not sure how.

 

I think there’s a difference between SHAI and HA scores, presumably they measure different things?

 

So why is the document only visible for members? Can only members download documents on this site?

Sorry for the confusion.

 

No, there were at least 6 sessions, but don't seem to say how many total. Only that 2/10 pulled out at session 6.

 

From this ...

http://www.archivespp.pl/uploads/images/2016_18_3/68Kocjan__Archives_PP_3_2016.pdf

... the SHAI scoring looks to be ...