> if you tell someone their back pain is caused by repressed emotions, you get what happens in the article.

But...you would (or could?, or should?) never tell someone that, because how would you know? Maybe there is some link but to conclude that it could be the case is pretty silly.

So it's not like that's a stigma, it's just a statement not based in fact that evokes a strong reaction because you're telling someone why they're feeling a certain way when in reality you have no idea at all.

Yeah, I think the thing a lot of commenters are missing is that the medical field itself has a pretty bad history of telling people "it's all in your head" when there turned out to be specific, treatable biological causes. This is especially true for CFS, where for a long time it was seen not just to be psychosomatic, but actually "not really that bad."

As another example, stress was blamed as the main cause of ulcers for decades, when an H pylori infection turned out to be the primary culprit.

There is also HUGE amounts of money involved. Especially huge ramifications come to the fact that you could either have extra 10 billion dollars paid out to CFS claimants, or you could spend them on your pet projects....what would one with power to decide the outcome of that do...?

Only the good things, of course, because they are all angels.

For most of the '00s and around '10-12, CFS wasn't even seen as a real thing, but purely imaginary.

I used "you" in the wrong way here. You == qualified medical people, such as in the article. Not you == oneself/one.

Well, repressed emotions is a term that doesn't have any clear physiological meaning and I think that might be the problem. I see a lot of success around the acceptance of the term "stress" which has clear physiological as well as psychological meanings, both for professionals and lay people. Maybe we need more terminology like this.

Oh so you've already made the conclusion its a mental illness?

You are the reason why such reactions occur.

honestly and earnestly, i also think a psychological condition that can (in most cases) be adjusted is taking society seriously. without a filter, and in some cases a firewall... "society" can also be the source of chronic pain.

Maybe it's because you're not a doctor

I felt plenty of resentment and disbelief when a doctor said it. (Not about RSI in my case, but the point that "it's in your head" does not come off well.)

I used to feel the same way, until I read Sarno’s book. The way he explained what psychosomatic means completely changed my perspective over it.

I think the main problem with many doctors is the fact that the patient tends to feel blamed when told that their minds are causing the problem. This is not Sarno’s approach at all, since he states that chronic pain can be seen as a defense mechanism against deep negative emotions.