Why Attributing 'Type A' Personalities to Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Needs to Stop

Me too. Surprised to see its reanimated corpse here.

 

In the days before CFS the general feeling seemed to be that ME was more common in people who were not able to rest enough when they became ill. This included medical professionals, teachers, mothers of young children and students, who were also people who were exposed to lots of bugs. The combination meant that ME was more likely but it was not seen as being associated with a particular personality type. Simply, if you never overexert you won't experience symptoms! It was explored as a mechanism of disease, and maybe as a way to avoid it by having a convalescent period an old fashioned idea that was fast disappearing.

After CFS, Yuppy flu was said to occur in people with "second class talent but first class ambitions" The type A thing was used to attack us.

Later SW had the bare faced cheek to do a paper where he claimed that type A people were no more likely to get ME and where he implied that people with ME thought they were a special sort!

The number of ME patients is bound to be increasing because we NEVER GET BETTER. If only 100 people get it every year, after 50 years there would be 5000.