The “Keep Psychiatry out of the NIH Study on ME/CFS” petition has been signed by over 2,000 people and, on the face of it, it makes sense. Who would want psychiatry in one of the most important studies ever done on ME/CFS? I certainly wouldn’t.
But did it help or hurt? Find out more in
Did the “Keep Psychiatry Out of the NIH Study on ME/CFS” Help or Hurt?
Dr. Mady Hornig said we know thoughts have physiological effects. That seems to be the premise behind cognitive behavioral therapy or mind-body medicine as some call it.
She also is well aware of the limitations of CBT or else she wouldn’t be delving deeper into the pathology of me/cfs.
Dr. Hornig is also one of the top researchers looking for a physiological basis for me/cfs.
There is a physiological basis for anxiety and depression. More and more attention is being focused on chronic inflammation as a likely cause of anxiety and depression. These are termed “psychosomatic” but the cutting edge research seems to focus on possible physiological causes.
It seems that the top researchers are not interested in psychoanalysis even those that believe CBT may be helpful.
I have to agree with Cort, that the NIH planned study is a physiological based study by its nature.
Advocacy for the patient community needs to be balanced with diplomacy.