A revealing survey of doctors won't make easy reading for fibromyalgia patients whose suffering is often dismissed.

Most people would probably assume that if they are sick then their doctor is there to help them as an impartial professional. Apparently this is not the case so you better make sure you develop an illness that your doctor feels is respectable.

The survey was carried out in Norway where doctors were asked to rank 38 different diseases according to the prestige with which they believe they are viewed with within the medical profession.

Patients suffering a heart attack, or from leukaemia, spleen rupture, brain tumour and testicular cancer can expect to be have their condition taken very seriously, which is as it should as these are all serious conditions.

Those suffering from fibromyalgia or nervous/psychological disorders such as depression, anxiety, schizophrenia and anorexia however may find themselves being treated less than satisfactorily. These are the diseases that the doctors ranked as the least prestigious.

The survey will confirm what many fibromyalgia patients have felt when dealing with their doctor. Many are dismissed as if they are malingerers or hypochondriacs when in actual fact fibromyalgia is a very serious chronic pain condition that can ruin people's lives.

The researchers from the University of Oslo and the University of Science and Technology, Oslo, said they believed the doctor's views could have implications for medical practice.

The results suggest that fibromyalgia patients may have to kick up a fuss to get the kind of care they should be given as a matter of course as doctors initially play down the severity of their condition.

There are also likely to be implications beyond the individual suffering of patients. With an estimated 2-4% of the population suffering from fibromyalgia, inadequate care as a result of doctor's personal opinions will inevitably lead to a strain on social services and the economy as millions are left disabled.

Source: Social Science & Medicine, doi: 10.1016/j.socimed. 2007.07.003

Comments (7)

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written by Lizzie, April 21, 2008

Well, I suffer and I have never been a hypochondriac. I was the sort of girl that went to work when I had the cold and flu. I am in chronic pain today for instance. But I am also not the kind of person that kicks up a fuss, I just wish Drs wouldn't categorise different illnesses, if a patient is suffering, then that person deserves special care, WHATEVER the condition of the sufferer.

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written by Lyn, January 01, 2009

I have Fibromyalgia and am terribly hospital phobic....my life is passing me by because of this wretched illness and all I get is painkillers that don't touch it, diazepam for muscle spasms and anti depressants but I'm not depressed....fed up, yes at not getting taken care of but depressed, no way. No time in my life to be depressed. I just want to run around with our pony and collies like I used to not be in a wheelchair in chronic pain.

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written by Matt, January 30, 2009

My wife is on 'another' excursion to the doctors today after fainting and banging her head. Our doctor plays the illness down and we're desperate to find someone who can take her seriously. winkybeer@hotmail.co.uk with advice please.

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written by Amazing, March 06, 2009

That this "disease" almost exclusively effects depressed, white women.
Everyone that I've ever known (3 people) who have claimed this "disease" have been the textbook case. Depressed, low self esteem, white, female, hypochondriacs.
Methinks that most sufferers are merely using it as an excuse not to deal with life. I could be wrong, but this is merely from my experience.

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written by Maff, March 06, 2009

Amazing - although it is true that a large proportion of fibromyalgia sufferers are women, and that many are depressed, there are genuine physiological reasons why this is the case. Despite the pain, which would be enough to make anyone depressed, fibromyalgia and depression are likely to be commonly comorbid because the same brain circuits appear to be dysfunctional in both conditions. Have a look at the news stories, articles, and research abstracts on this site if you genuinely want to learn the truth about this disabling condition.

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written by Maff, May 17, 2009

Doc - I appreciate your feedback but I do not appreciate being called a liar when I am certainly not deliberately trying to mislead anyone. I believe you will find neural stress pathways play a role in both conditions. However, perhaps it would have been more accurate to say that common endocrine pathways appear to be dysfunctional - since studies show the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA-axis) is disrupted in both fibromyalgia and major depression (albeit in different ways). Even a basic literature review using a database such as PubMed is enough to validate this statement.

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