ME misunderstood
Sir: A lot of funny things go on in the world of ME, its diagnosis and treatment, but I wish that Dr Dalrymple had approached the subject (If symptoms persist, 10 November) from a position of knowledge rather than ignorance. He implies or states that: 1. The medical profession doubts the validity of ME as a diagnostic category: the recognition of ME by the DHSS suggests otherwise.
2. ME self-help groups advise sufferers to go to bed. It is true that the ME Association and the ME Action Campaign emphasise the importance of rest, but this is because most people with ME do not take enough of it. Of course, staying in bed all day would be a bad thing, but very few people do that.
3. ME is a middle-class disease. This false impression is probably created by the fact that middle-class sufferers tend to create a higher profile for themselves — by writing letters like this, for example.
Valerie O'Farrell
Edinburgh ME Self-Help Group, 7 Braid Road, Edinburgh
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