Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Archives

MCS - Psychosomatic diagnosis or quackery!

Arch Environ Health 2000 May-Jun;55(3):165-75 Related Articles, Books, LinkOut

Psychiatric inferences from data on psychologic/psychiatric symptoms in multiple chemical sensitivities syndrome.

Davidoff AL, Fogarty L, Keyl PM

Outpatient Service, Sheppard and Enoch Pratt Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.

When abnormal psychologic/psychiatric symptom data are obtained on personality tests or psychiatric interviews administered to patients who report symptoms of Multiple Chemical Sensitivities Syndrome, investigators typically attribute these to either psychiatric traits or to psychogenic origins of illness. The primary purpose of these studies was the evaluation of the plausibility of nonpsychiatric explanations of psychologic/psychiatric symptom data. In Study 1, patients with Multiple Chemical Sensitivities Syndrome used the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory 2 (MMPI-2) to describe which items had changed after they developed the condition. In Study 2, three diverse groups of professionals predicted which items on the MMPI-2 might change after a mentally healthy person developed the Syndrome or a condition resembling it. In Study 3, a second sample of Multiple Chemical Sensitivities Syndrome patients completed the MMPI-2 and other questionnaires by mail, which allowed the authors to ascertain whether these patients showed more or different psychopathology than was described by patients and hypothesized by professionals. Data from Study 1 patient informants indicated that developing the syndrome might result in a psychopathological MMPI-2 profile, characterized by abnormal Hypochondriasis and Hysteria scale scores. Professionals in Study 2 showed a consensus about hypothesized MMPI-2 changes following the development of the syndrome. These changes likely elevated the Hypochondriasis, Hysteria, Psychasthenia, Depression, and Schizophrenia scale scores. In Study 3, the patients taking the MMPI-2 showed elevations on the Hypochondriasis, Hysteria, Depression (women only), and Schizophrenia scales. Abnormal scores were associated closely with greater severity of illness and greater adjustment to illness. The strategy of administering psychometric tests to ill populations for the purposes of evaluating psychiatric illness or traits, and/or psychogenic origins of illness was shown to be potentially misleading.

PMID: 10908099, UI: 20363391

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Follow Ups:

• Re: MCS - Psychosomatic diagnosis or quackery! (Archive.) Walt Stoll 11:51:11 9/18/00 (0)
• Re: MCS - Psychosomatic diagnosis or quackery! leon cavallo 02:15:00 9/17/00 (0)

In Reply to: MCS - Psychosomatic diagnosis or quackery! posted by Samantha on September 16, 2000 at 23:39:28:

What is presented here through this point of view is not only ignorant, but it is terribly outdated.

Chemical sensitivity is not a mystery...and it hasnt been for the last fifteen years at least. Only in the least updated of the AMA-dependant and Merk-manual-based medical field does chemical sensitivity continue to puzzle...and in those sorry corners, it still puzzles only because there isnt enough knowledge of chemistry to fill the notebook of a ninth grader.

To take a line from Dr. Stoll's years old response to his state medical licensing board, I will not do your homework for you, especially because it is too easy. All you have to do is notice one of two provinces in the country that is medicine: Environmental or Orthomolecular.

"There is no such thing as a hypocondriac....but only those who label another as such, because they dont know enough to discern the relavant variables and ignorantly rush to judgement."
--William J. Rea, m.d.-- and so much more!

(i suppose its understandable that chemical sensitivity is enigmatic to those who will not relinquish their belief that specific symptoms are the absolute tell all of specific illnesses. they are not.)

In Reply to: MCS - Psychosomatic diagnosis or quackery! posted by Samantha on September 16, 2000 at 23:39:28:

Thanks, Samantha.

Isn't it interesting how quick the ignorant practitioner blames the patient when they (the practitioner) does not understand the problem?

Namaste`

Walt