Treating patients with MUPS (article more interesting than its title)

Cheshire · Nov 8, 2017

By Sara Husni

Article published by Ivey International Centre for Health Innovation (Canadian business university) and way more interesting and documented than the title would suggest.
It seems there really is a new narrative about ME emerging.

For patients, there is a struggle to earn credibility among providers who may perceive their symptoms as less debilitating than symptoms occurring within the context of a ‘hard’ pathophysiological finding. In the absence of a narrative or vocabulary to explain their illness, many patients report feelings of invalidation, guilt and hopelessness. Moreover, some providers might suggest that the illness is entirely psychological which is both stigmatizing and inequitable, especially given the fact that most mental healthcare in Ontario is positioned outside the boundary of medical coverage. Even the labelling of certain MUPS conditions is offensive and trivializing. For example, some people still refer to myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) which many patients feel minimizes their experience with the condition. Likewise, following the publication of 1980s’ Newsweek article, ME is sometimes flippantly labelled as “Yuppie Flu” which implies that the condition is simply “a fashionable form of hypochondria”.
Click to expand...

https://www.ivey.uwo.ca/healthinnov...ed-physical-symptoms-mups/?platform=hootsuite

Hutan · Nov 8, 2017

Yes, that article was better than I expected.

Cheshire said: ↑

It seems there really is a new narrative about ME emerging.
Click to expand...

It does seem so. I'm aware that the University of Otago in New Zealand now holds a seminar for students taking a public health course where they get to hear from people with chronic diseases. It includes a person with ME; I heard it brought home to people how hard it is to have ME, not least because of the prevailing attitudes of health care professionals.

This seminar was used as the basis of an essay assignment, to explore institutional barriers to access to health care.

Woolie · Nov 9, 2017

Hutan said: ↑

Yes, that article was better than I expected.

It does seem so. I'm aware that the University of Otago in New Zealand now holds a seminar for students taking a public health course where they get to hear from people with chronic diseases. It includes a person with ME; I heard it brought home to people how hard it is to have ME, not least because of the prevailing attitudes of health care professionals.

This seminar was used as the basis of an essay assignment, to explore institutional barriers to access to health care.
Click to expand...

Nice, @Hutan. At another one of the major NZ Universities, the Clinical Psychology programme now includes seminars on "Medical illnesses masquerading as psychological disorders", and also seminars on the problem of bias in psychotherapy research trials.

Snowdrop · Nov 9, 2017

While it doesn't include ME there is actually a book on the subject: http://ca.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0470890657.html

Masquerading symptoms: Uncovering Physical Illnesses that present as psychological problems

Log in or Sign up

Treating patients with MUPS (article more interesting than its title)

Cheshire Moderator Staff Member

Hutan Moderator Staff Member

Woolie Committee member

Snowdrop Senior Member (Voting Rights)

Share This Page

Log in or Sign up

Treating patients with MUPS (article more interesting than its title)

Cheshire Moderator Staff Member

Hutan Moderator Staff Member

Woolie Committee member

Snowdrop Senior Member (Voting Rights)

Share This Page

Useful Searches