Textbook Lies

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STOP TEXTBOOK LIES ABOUT CFS!

We don't need college textbooks telling students that CFS is all in your head.This is a section on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome from the textbook Abnormal Psychology: An Integrative Approach, Fourth Ed., by David H. Barlow and V. Mark Durand, copyright 2005 by Wadsworth, a division of Thomson Learning.

To summarize: The authors list many possible physical causes, saying there is no evidence of any of them. They ignore the most popular opinion--that ANY of these things can cause CFS. They say there is no pharmacological treatment. Ever hear of Ampligen? It's not used because it costs many thousands of dollars per year. They even say it's exactly like neurasthenia, a psychological condition that is separately classified from CFS. The devastating pain experienced by most people with CFS is referred to as "aches and pains." Then it goes on to give an explanation complete with diagram about how CFS is a lifestyle illness of overdriven yuppies who mistake their symptoms of stress for illness. They then become inactive due to depression and "feelings of helplessness." Drs. Wessely and Sharpe are credited with these ingenious findings. Of course, the only treatment is CBT and graded exercise. GRRRRR!!

The authors and publisher invite students to send comments. If you find this text as archaic as I do, please let them know.

The address is: Attn: Marianne Taflinger, Psychology Editor, BrooksCole/Thomson Learning, 60 Garden Ct. Ste. 205, Monterey, CA 93940-9967.