MAGICAL MEDICINE: HOW TO MAKE AN ILLNESS ... - Invest in ME

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This is unequivocal: according to Chalder, chronic fatigue syndrome is a classical psychosomatic
disorder.
Other IoP job advertisements for “CFS” that can be found on the website include one for a “Cognitive
Behavioural Psychotherapist”, accountable to Professor Trudie Chalder, which requires the applicant to
possess “an understanding of the needs of people with mental health problems”.
Professor Chalder’s views as exemplified in those job advertisements seem to give the lie to the Wessely
School’s claim that they seek to avoid Cartesian dualism.
There is compelling evidence linking ME/CFS with exposure to environmental toxins, specifically to
organophosphates and chemical warfare agents, demonstrating that patients with ME/CFS have
reproducible alterations in gene regulation, especially those genes associated with immune, neuronal and
mitochondrial function (N Kausnik, ST Holgate and JR Kerr et al. J Clin Pathol 2005:58:826‐832).
Trudie Chalder, however, believes that CBT is capable of reversing these acquired alterations in gene
regulation (Presentation to the Group of Scientific Research into ME at the House of Commons [the Gibson
Inquiry] 7 th June 2006).
She also believes that CBT can restore people with “CFS/ME” to full time employment (Occupational
Aspects of the Management of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: a National Guideline; NHS Plus, October 2006:
DH Publications 2006/273539).
Professor Chalder features in the Wessely School’s Training Video for Physicians (“Training Physicians in
Mental Health Skills”). The video lasts 45 minutes and is presented by Professor Andre Tylee and Professor
Trudie Chalder; it claims to demonstrate how not to get into arguments with the patient, how to form a
therapeutic alliance with them, and how to carry out a plan of treatment aimed at the restoration of normal
function.
In the video, Tylee says: “Is it important to sort of put somebody right if they believe it’s due to a virus?” and
Chalder replies:
“I mean I think it’s important to incorporate that belief in a more sophisticated model of understanding the illness than
you would share with the patient…. people think that there’s something lurking in the cupboard as yet undiscovered
that is creating the problem and of course that’s I think in their mind a bit silly (sic). It’s really important that
patients keep a detailed diary of their activities so that you can then re‐order all of the activities…We
know the degree of pathology is not necessarily correlated with the degree of disability”.
Professor Chalder seems to believe that patients and even their doctors can be difficult to “brain‐wash” with
(and about) CBT, so she seems to have a strategy to overcome such difficulties.
In “Biopsychosocial Medicine” edited by Peter White referred to above (chapter 12: Discussion: “What are
the barriers to healthcare systems using a biopsychosocial approach and how might they be overcome?”),
Trudie Chalder made a seemingly disturbing contribution: “Rather than start with the physicians, which might
be quite a difficult task, we could make a start with youngsters in schools. My experience is that they are much easier
to educate. The only barrier is the parents. Once we have the child on our side we are in a very good
position” (http://www.meactionuk.org.uk/PROOF_POSITIVE.htm ).
At the 2006 British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy (BACP) Conference in
Warwick, Professor Chalder gave Workshop 12 (“Beyond Simple Techniques in the Treatment of Medically
Unexplained Symptoms”), at which she said: “The extent of the disability is usually determined by the
degree of belief in the physical nature of the symptoms… We will discuss strategies that may be employed
when meeting resistance in the patient…”.