Re: Is it all in my head?

It's AIYH and your all just a bunch of slackers.
<grin>

"Randy" <GG@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1126086388.372490.301250@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> http://articles.health.msn.com/id/100108081?GT1=7003 (via Psychology
> Today)
> "What you believe about your illness influences how sick you become."
>
> Hard to believe this kinda crap is still making the rounds, but I know
> it is because I've heard it:
>
> Excerpts:
>
> In one study conducted by Wayne Katon, professor of psychiatry at the
> University of Washington in Seattle, 90 percent of fibromyalgia
> patients had a prior psychiatric diagnosis. Another study, at the
> University of Leeds, found that patients who had developed chronic
> fatigue were nine times more likely to have suffered stressful events
> and difficulties in the three months before the onset of disease than
> were healthy subjects. The implication is clear: Unlike other
> diseases, these disorders are closely connected to psychological
> distress, whether it takes the shape of a major psychiatric disorder
> or simply poor coping mechanisms.
> ...
>
> According to Katon's clinical observations, patients with chronic
> fatigue or fibromyalgia tend to be highly driven overachievers
> unaccustomed to feeling any loss of control. When injured or sickened,
> those who decide that the pain or illness has overwhelmingly and
> permanently damaged their bodies come to feel victimized and unable to
> cope. Learned helplessness sets in, and patients can find themselves
> perpetually depressed and inactive.
> ...
>
> Patients with chronic fatigue who attribute their illness solely to
> external causes, such as a virus, seem to stay sicker than those who
> acknowledge the possible interplay of psychological factors. "Your
> beliefs about the illness are important," says Buchwald. "If you're
> wedded to an idea that your illness has a single specific cause, your
> chances of getting better are diminished, because you're not
> addressing parts of the illness that could be prolonging it."
> Instead, she suggests, patients should focus on actively following
> treatment advice and avoiding social isolation.
> ...
>
> Because beliefs have such a powerful impact on well-being, the
> techniques that people use to cope with other diseases can backfire in
> the case of chronic fatigue. Ironically, patient advocacy groups may
> be more harmful than helpful, studies have suggested, possibly by
> reinforcing a sense of victimization or by giving misguided advice,
> such as actively discouraging all exercise.
>
> "The support groups are very anti-psychological," says Katon. "A lot
> of times they act to inadvertently reinforce illness beliefs [such as
> fear of relapse or exhaustion] that are potentially harmful to
> patients." Those in support groups often report more severe illness,
> and say that they feel worse since joining the group than do dropouts.
> ___________
>
> Unbelievable.
> And I've heard that very message about support groups before. Damned
> shrinks. "If you think it's not psych-based, *you* are the problem."
> Resistance is futile. You *will* be assimilated. Pay at the door,
> please.


.

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