BPS attempts at psychologizing Long Covid

Just the man we need. Didn't the devils of Loudun feature in the discussion at some points over the last fifty years.

 

Ughh.
https://twitter.com/user/status/1319215494772252674

 

It's a hell of a lot of work, logistically, physically, and cognitively, to get to a GP for me.

I've only ever done it if I consider both that something is having a serious effect on my capabilities, and that they have the capability to help.

I have never been to a GP because I was 'lonely'.

I have mostly been disappointed by GPs ability to understand that something is serious enough to force me to visit them for assistance, their ability to understand what's wrong, and their usually total dedication to preventing me from getting any treatment that would be helpful.

In my experience, they seem to be gatekeeper underlings, whose only purpose is to be there not to help me. Instead they seem to be there specifically to prevent my getting help by refusing to run appropriate tests or refer me to people who might actually know what they are talking about.

Of course, having little experience, I have to take it on faith that these people actually exist, somewhere.

 

What the actual hubristic fuck?

Sorry buddy but absolutely no one thinks of physicians as "people to go talk to". Not now. Not ever. Grow the frack up. Everyone understands what medicine is about and it's not about a good conversation, especially not with people who display such poor listening skills that they'd think something this absurd. Physicians are literally famous for being terrible at it, so much that a euphemism for what people would generally consider to be inappropriate behavior had to be invented in the form of "bedside manners". But mostly the time doesn't even allow it, far too busy for that. Holy insular groupthing, Batman.

 

This just strikes me as the words of someone who needs to feel that everyone loves them....
My patients come to see me because they need me - I’m special - and they dont have anyone else....
Yuk.

 

Perhaps J Tomlinson ought to get on Tinder rather than fantasizing about patients.

 

You mean where he replies with: "They're part of my daily practice"?

In a further tweet he expands on his point of view saying: "The other point is that toxic stress affects the developing neuro/endocrine/immune and other systems, so it's biological/physiological which is why autoimmune diseases are much more prevalent in people who have experienced developmental trauma."

So, if I've understood him correctly, whichever way you cut it, it's down to psychological trauma; including the dysfunctional biology. In his opinion.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1333141160735412228

 

He's seems determined not to diagnose anything in his patients. That could be fatal for the patient. Wonder what conditions he's overlooked.

 

I'm trying to figure out what I find disturbing about people like Tomlinson. They might smile and speak gently but fundamentally they are authoritarians that are determined to impose their views on patients and not respect patient autonomy.

How many of his patients would agree that they are really seeing him because of loneliness?

 

This is exactly what I often felt. When I met doctors like that in person the hair in my neck stood up. I guess it's trauma afterall, just not the kind they thought.

I'd rather get openly disbelieved, ridiculed or dismissed, at least that would be honest. But wrapping it in nice, twisted words is sickening.

 

The Guardian has a long history of malign commentary on ME. An example of SMC psychatrists playing the victim card:
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2011/aug/21/chronic-fatigue-syndrome-myalgic-encephalomyelitis

Wessely's assistant Ben Goldacre was the Guardian science go-to at that time. His Bad Science scepticism was never directed at BPS for some reason, [eta] while his Bad Science forum (off Guardian) was the site of some of the worst anti-ME activity I've seen. An anonymous GP also had a weekly column in which he regularly abused pwME. Others will recall different examples.

 

They've been living with their personalities all their lives so don't expect them to change.

 

Ha ha. Well said (as usual)!

Here's an opinion piece he wrote in the BMJ open a few years ago entitled, "'Four problems' - a typical day for a GP" ... at least I think it's the same guy.

I think you can learn a lot about him from this piece.
I'm glad he's not my GP ... not that I actually see mine very often. (Last time was four years ago.)


https://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2014/05/02/jonathon-tomlinson-four-problems-a-typical-day-for-a-gp/

 

He's a sociopath.

I'd love to call to make an appointment with him just for fun. When the receptionist asks what is the problem, I would tell her "I'm lonely". See how fast I get in to see him.

 

Trial By Error: Thoughts on The Observer, The Guardian, and Paradigm Shift

https://www.virology.ws/2020/12/02/...the-observer-the-guardian-and-paradigm-shift/