Media coverage: Karina Hansen now detained six months against her will in Hammel Neurocenter, Denmark

August 14, 2013 by

Post #273 Shortlink: http://wp.me/pKrrB-3kV

Update at September 9: According to reports linked to by ME Forenginen, Danmark, on Facebook:

The Hansen parents had a court hearing on September 5, 2013, to challenge the legality of Karina’s guardianship. Karina’s removal from her home by the authorities and her continued detention at Hammel Neurocenter was not scheduled to be covered during the court proceedings.

The Danish Aktion Karina/Term group that has been protesting outside Hammel Neurocenter and the Aarhus Research Clinic for Functional Disorders (the clinic that is advising Hammel Neurocenter on Ms Hansen’s treatment), are planning a new demonstration in front of the Ministry of Health. The event is scheduled for September 26, in Copenhagen.

For more information on this event: https://www.facebook.com/events/536076826466062/

Update at August 30: It is understood that a meeting between the Hansen parents and physicians at Hammel Neurocenter took place on Tuesday, August 28; that Dr Gerdes and lawyer, Mr Tørnes, were not permitted to attend this meeting and that the parents were denied access to visit their daughter.* I will post further information if and when an official update is released.

*Source: https://www.facebook.com/meforeningen.dk

There have been further protests staged, this week, at Hammel Neurocenter:

Aktion Karina – Myalgisk Encephalomyelitis (ME) Aktion 2, Dag 1:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFfilet_upo

Update: According to ME Forenginen, Danmark, on Facebook, the Hansen parents have been called to a meeting in the next couple of weeks with Merete Stubkjær Christensen, chief physician, Regionshospitalet, Hammel Neurocenter. Doctor Stig Gerdes and lawyer, Paul Tørnes, have sent a further letter to the Aarhus Research Clinic for Functional Disorders (that is advising Hammel Neurocenter on Ms Hansen’s treatment), following a telephone conversation with the Clinic. It is understood that Dr Gerdes and Mr Tørnes were hoping to attend this anticipated meeting with Merete Stubkjær Christensen to support the parents.

Update: YouTube: Danish Aktion Karina/Term group protest (Day 5):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tAAJvJmhH4

Update: YouTube: Danish Aktion Karina/Term group protest Hammel Neurocenter (Day 4): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqDUJworpaY

Update: New article, August 14: Dagbladet Holstebro (Subscription required for access)

http://dagbladet-holstebro-struer.dk/holstebro/beskyldte-mor-for-alvorlige-svigt-af-syg-datter

Beskyldte mor for alvorlige svigt af syg datter (Accused mother of serious failure of sick daughter)

Update: YouTubes: Danish Aktion Karina/Term group protests about Karina Hansen’s treatment (Days 1 to 5):

Aktion Karina Day 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDBhlnw6DMo

Aktion Karina Day 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAf2fH8qhuQ

Aktion Karina Day 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpCd9ZGAEY8

Aktion Karina Day 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqDUJworpaY

Aktion Karina Day 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tAAJvJmhH4

“Karina er en 24 årig ME-syg kvinde, som er blevet tvangsindlagt på Hammel Sygehus, underkastet regler for psykiatrien og hun er under psykiaterne på Forskning klinikken for de såkaldte funktionelle lidelsers bestemmelser og fulde kontrol.

“Karinas telefon er gået død, og er ikke mere i brug. Karina har ikke adgang til en PC. Familiens advokat har fået at vide, at han ikke er Karinas advokat. Karina må ikke modtage besøg.

“Karinas retssikkerhed er alvorligt truet. Karina udsættes for fysisk træning, hvilket ofte skader Me-patienter. Karina har ikke set sine forældre siden indlæggelsen for over 100 dage siden. Psykiaterne på Forskningsklinikken for de såkaldte funktionelle lidelser har fået ansvaret for ME-syge i DK, selvom udenlandske og indlandske eksperter mener, at ME er en neurologisk eller en immunologisk sygdom og ikke en psykiatrisk sygdom. Psykiaterne har voldsomt brug for en succeshistorie, da de har fået ansvaret for et helt nyt ME-videns-center, som fremover skal have ansvaret for ME-syge i DK. Psykiaterne på Forskningsklinikken vil ikke samarbejde med specialister i ME, men kun med andre psykiatere.”

Aktion Karina/Term site – https://www.facebook.com/events/214896588665066/

Update: New article, August 14: Ekstra Bladet

http://ekstrabladet.dk/nationen/article2066198.ece

Voldsomt: 5 betjente tvangsindlægger 24-årig  (Violently: 5 cops forced hospitalization of 24-year-old)

Lige nu demonstrerer ca. 20 borgere mod tvangsindlæggelsen af 24-årige karina, der blev fjernet fra hjemmet – uden forældrenes accept Af: Thomas Harder

(Right now, around 20 citizens demonstrate against forced admission of 24 year old Karina, who was removed from home – without parental consent By Thomas Harder)

“De har taget hende og har gjort hende til en psykiarisk sygdom – men hun er fysisk syg, og vi er meget bekymrede for hende”

(“They have taken her and assigned her a psychiatric illness – but she is physically ill, and we are very concerned for her”)

As previously posted on August 14

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“…They have not seen their adult daughter for almost six months, after she was forcibly hospitalized in Hammel Neurocenter. Against her parents’ wishes. Against her own wishes. Not even their daughter’s lawyer can get an explanation…”

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KHBW2On 12 February, 24 year old Karina Hansen of Holstebro, Denmark, was removed from her home by five policemen, two doctors, two social workers and a locksmith, who threatened to break down the door to the family home.

She was taken, against her will, to Hammel Neurocenter. For six months, now, Karina has remained in hospital and is denied visits from her parents, Per and Ketty Hansen.

Karina is unable to access her legal representative because the hospital and health authorities refuse to acknowledge the lawyer whom she engaged to represent her, in 2012.

The authorities have appointed a guardian over the heads of Karina and her parents, who held power of attorney for their daughter, pictured on the left.

Rebecca Hansen, chairman, ME Foreningen, Danmark (ME Association, Denmark), who is not a relative, has been acting as lay advocate to the Hansen family. The most recent update on Karina’s situation was published here on Dx Revision Watch, in June.

For links to translations of Update 2: Human Rights denied: Something rotten in the state of Denmark: Karina Hansen’s story in Danish, German and Dutch go here.

Professor Per Fink, Aarhus Research Clinic for Functional Disorders is advising Hammel Neurocenter on Karina’s treatment – a treatment regime she has made plain she does not wish to receive, in a setting she does not wish to be detained in.

Her rights, as a patient, to determine where and by what means and for how long she is treated, to receive documentation and a treatment plan and access to her family and her lawyer, are being denied by Danish Health authorities.

For information on Aarhus Research Clinic and Per Fink et al’s construct of Bodily Distress Syndrome, see Part Two of Dx Revision Watch Post: ICD-11 Beta draft and Bodily Distress Disorders; Per Fink and Bodily Distress Syndrome

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National media coverage of the case

On August 10, four reports were published by the newspaper, BT, Danmark (a Danish national tabloid):

http://www.bt.dk/danmark/foraeldre-naegtet-at-se-syg-datter-mor-hvordan-skal-jeg-komme-vaek-herfra

Forældre nægtet at se syg datter: ’Mor, hvordan skal jeg komme væk herfra?’

(Parents are refused [visits] to see sick daughter: ‘Mom, how do I get out of here?’)

by Morten Eggert

also

http://www.bt.dk/danmark/derfor-blev-24-aarige-k-fjernet-fra-sine-foraeldre

Derfor blev 24-årige K fjernet fra sine forældre

(Why was 24 year old K removed from her parents?)

also

http://www.bt.dk/danmark/24-aarig-patient-i-slaar-mig-ihjel

24-årig patient: I slår mig ihjel

(24 year old patient: “You are killing me”)

(As I don’t speak Danish and since this is a very sensitive case, I prefer not to provide imperfect and potentially inaccurate auto translations or summaries; the gist of these reports can be roughly auto translated via Google, Bing or other translators.)

also

[Image] http://xa.yimg.com/kq/groups/86982676/219750998/name/BT

Politiker: De må ikke tvangsindlægge

(Politician: They don’t forcibly hospitalize)

“Liselott Blixt, health spokesperson for Dansk Folkeparti (The Danish People’s Party) and Chairman of the Folketing § 71-supervision, which keeps an eye on the use of coercion, has now prompted a statement from Region Midtjylland on this deeply unhappy case…”

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Local media coverage

A local paper (Dagbladet Holstebro-Struer) also reported on the case, last week, on 10 August, with a four page interview with Per and Ketty Hansen. Subscribers can read the interview with Karina’s parents, in Danish, online, here:

http://dagbladet-holstebro-struer.dk/holstebro/de-tog-vores-datter

They took our daughter

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From ME Forenginen, Danmark’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/meforeningen.dk

On August 13, BT published an interview with ME Forenginen, Danmark’s, Vice-Chair, Cathrine Engsig, about the treatment of Karina Hansen and her parents:

[Image] https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/p480x480/995990_412997052143731_905956157_n.jpg

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Demonstrations

According to ME Forenginen, Danmark’s, Facebook page, a non-affiliated Danish group has started a 5 day demonstration in Aarhus and Hammel to raise awareness of Karina’s plight.

A series of demonstrations started on Monday, 12 August, and ends on Friday, 16 August, in the afternoon.

More information here: https://www.facebook.com/events/214896588665066

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Initiatives

According to ME Forenginen, Denmark’s Facebook page, doctor Stig Gerdes and lawyer Stig Tornaes have contacted psychiatrist, Professor Per Fink, Aarhus Research Clinic for Functional Disorders, who is advising Hammel Neurocenter on Karina’s treatment. A copy of their letter can be read, in Danish, on ME Forenginen, Danmark’s, Facebook page, here:

https://www.facebook.com/meforeningen.dk

I will update when further official updates or media coverage become available.

Clarification
Reports and updates on Dx Revision Watch site on the Hansen family’s situation are being published as provided by, and in consultation with, Rebecca Hansen, Chairman, ME Foreningen, Danmark (ME Association, Denmark), or edited from reports as provided. Dx Revision Watch site has no connection with any petitions or initiatives, or with any websites, social media platforms or other platforms set up to promote petitions or initiatives, or to otherwise raise awareness of the Hansen family’s situation. All enquiries in relation to any petitions or other initiatives, or platforms associated with them should be addressed directly to the organizers, sponsors or owners responsible for them.

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Previous posts

Something rotten in the state of Denmark: Karina Hansen’s story: http://wp.me/pKrrB-2Xc

Human Rights denied: Something rotten in the state of Denmark: Karina Hansen’s story: Update 1: http://wp.me/pKrrB-35o

Update 2: Human Rights denied: Something rotten in the state of Denmark: Karina Hansen’s story: http://wp.me/pKrrB-390

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Links

Website for ME Foreningen, Danmark www.me-foreningen.dk

Official petition launched and sponsored by the ME Association of Denmark, and approved by the Hansen family: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/postcardtokarina/
For more information on the ME Association of Denmark’s postcard campaign go here on Facebook
For information on Bodily Distress Syndrome see Part Two of Dx Revision Watch Post: ICD-11 Beta draft and BDD, Per Fink and Bodily Distress Syndrome
Opdater 2: Menneskerettighederne nægtet: Noget råddent i staten Danmark: Karina Hansen: http://wp.me/pKrrB-390
Update 2: Human Rights denied: Something rotten in the state of Denmark: Karina Hansen’s story: http://wp.me/pKrrB-390
Update 2: Ontkenning van mensenrechten: Iets verrot in de staat van Denemarken: Het verhaal van Karina Hansen: http://wp.me/pKrrB-390
Update 2: Menschenrechtsverstoß: Etwas ist faul in Dänemark: Karina Hansens Geschichte: http://wp.me/pKrrB-390
Update 2: Droits de l’Homme: Il y a quelque chose de pourri au royaume du Danemark: l’histoire de Karina Hansen: http://wp.me/pKrrB-390

Filed under Bodily Distress Disorders, Bodily distress syndrome, Bodily stress syndrome, Chronic fatigue syndrome, Functional Somatic Syndrome (FSS), ICD-11 Beta Draft, MUS, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), Per Fink, Somatic Symptom Disorder Tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

Translations for Update 2: Human Rights denied: Something rotten in the state of Denmark: Karina Hansen’s story

June 24, 2013 by

Post #269 Shortlink: http://wp.me/pKrrB-3hQ

Translations of June 19, 2013 report by Rebecca Hansen, chairman, ME Foreningen, Danmark (ME Association, Denmark).

KHBW2

Karina Hansen has now been detained in Hammel Neurocenter against her will for 6 months

If there is a Norwegian translation or other languages other than those below, I’d be pleased to have links to add to this page. You can contact me via the Contact form.

English: http://wp.me/pKrrB-390 Update 2: Human Rights denied: Something rotten in the state of Denmark: Karina Hansen’s story

“You are killing me.” Experimental treatment forced on a severely ill ME patient

Dansk: http://wp.me/pKrrB-3gj Opdater 2: Menneskerettighederne nægtet: Noget råddent i staten Danmark: Karina Hansen

”I slår mig ihjel.” Svært ME syg patient tvinges til eksperimentel behandling

Deutsch  | UFOCOMES-blog

“Ihr bringt mich um.” Schwer an ME erkrankte Patientin wird zu experimenteller Behandlung gezwungen

Nederlandse  |  ME|cvs Vereniging   |  PDF Nederlandse vertaling

“Jullie vermoorden mij.” Ernstig zieke ME-patiënte gedwongen tot een experimentele behandeling

For earlier posts:

May 11, 2013: Something rotten in the state of Denmark: Karina Hansen’s story: http://wp.me/pKrrB-2Xc

May 25, 2013: Human Rights denied: Something rotten in the state of Denmark: Karina Hansen’s story: Update 1: http://wp.me/pKrrB-35o

May 25, 2013: Menneskerettighederne nægtet: Noget råddent i staten Danmark: Karina Hansen: Opdater 1: http://wp.me/pKrrB-36e

Information on ME Foreningen postcard campaign and petition on Facebook or here: www.me-foreningen.dk

For information on Bodily Distress Syndrome see Part Two Dx Revision Watch Post: ICD-11 Beta draft and BDD, Per Fink and Bodily Distress Syndrome

Filed under Bodily Distress Disorders, Bodily distress syndrome, Bodily stress syndrome, Chronic fatigue syndrome, Functional Somatic Syndrome (FSS), ICD-11 Beta Draft, MUS, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), Per Fink, Somatic Symptom Disorder Tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

BDS, BDDs, BSS, BDD unscrambled

June 19, 2013 by

Post #268 Shortlink: http://wp.me/pKrrB-3fA

BDS, BDDs, BSS, BDD and ICD-11, unscrambled

There are two WHO convened working groups charged with making recommendations for the revision of ICD-10’s Somatoform Disorders: the Primary Care Consultation Group (known as the PCCG) and the Expert Working Group on Somatic Distress and Dissociative Disorders (known as the S3DWG).

The revision of ICD-11 is being promoted as an open and transparent process. But to date, neither working group has published progress reports for stakeholder consumption and neither group has published its emerging proposals in public access journals.

Content populated in the public version of the ICD-11 Beta drafting platform sheds little light on proposals.

Consequently, there is considerable confusion around what is being recommended for the revision of ICD-10’s Somatoform Disorders, whether consensus between the two working groups has been reached, and what proposals will progress to field testing during the next two years.

ICD-11 Revision has been asked to clarify when it intends to define and characterize its current proposals within the Beta drafting platform.

The notes below set out some of what is known about the two working groups’ emerging proposals, how they diverge and how they compare with DSM-5’s Somatic Symptom Disorder and with Fink et al’s Bodily Distress Syndrome.

Caveat: the proposals of the two ICD-11 working groups may have undergone revision and refinement since emerging proposals were published, in July and December, last year; the two groups may or may not have reached consensus over how this proposed new ICD construct should be defined and characterized, its inclusions, exclusions and differential diagnoses, or what name it should be given.

What is Bodily Distress Syndrome (BDS)?

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Bodily Distress Syndrome is the name given to a disorder construct developed by Per Fink and colleagues, Aarhus University, that is already in use in Danish research studies and in clinical settings [1].

BDS is described by its authors as “a unifying diagnosis that encompasses a group of closely related conditions such as somatization disorder, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome and chronic fatigue syndrome.”

Per Fink and colleagues are lobbying for BDS to be integrated into forthcoming classification systems and adopted as a diagnosis by primary care practitioners.

Their proposal is for reclassifying somatoform disorders, pain disorder, neurasthenia and the so-called functional somatic syndromes, including fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome and chronic fatigue syndrome, under a new classification, Bodily Distress Syndrome.

They consider these should be treated and managed as subtypes of the same disorder with CBT, GET, “mindfulness therapy” and in some cases, antidepressants.

The PDF format slide presentation in reference [2] will give an overview of BDS and there is more information and links in an earlier post, in reference [3].

Is Fink et al’s Bodily Distress Syndrome construct the same as DSM-5’s SSD?

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No, Bodily Distress Syndrome is a different construct to DSM-5’s Somatic Symptom Disorder.

Psychological or behavioural characteristics, central for the diagnosis of SSD, do not form part of the BDS criteria.

For BDS, physical symptoms are central to the diagnosis, which is based on identification of symptom patterns (not symptom count) from four body systems:

Cardiopulmonary/autonomic arousal; Gastrointestinal arousal; Musculoskeletal tension; General symptoms.

There is a “Modest” BDS (single-organ type) and a “Severe” BDS (multi-organ type).

If the symptoms are better explained by another disease, they cannot be labelled BDS.

The graphic below compares mutli-organ Bodily Distress Syndrome with Somatic Symptom Disorder, as the DSM-5 draft criteria had stood, in May 2012.

Note the defining characteristics of the DSM-5 SSD construct: the SSD definition calls for positive psychobehavioural characteristics (excessive or maladaptive responses or associated health concerns) in response to persistent distressing somatic symptoms; the requirement that the symptoms are “medically unexplained” is not central to the diagnosis and the symptoms may or may not be associated with a well-recognised medical condition.

The SSD diagnosis can be made in the presence of one or more unspecified, somatic symptoms associated with general medical conditions and diagnosed disease, like multiple sclerosis, cancer, diabetes or angina, or in the so-called “functional somatic syndromes” (for example, IBS, CFS or fibromyalgia) or in complaints with unclear etiology.

Compare Fink et al’s BDS with DSM-5’s SSD, in the table, below:

Depending on screen size/resolution, graphic may not display in full. Click on the image and the image file will load. Graphic: Suzy Chapman

Bodily Distress Syndrome comparison with Somtatic Symptom Disorder

Continued on Page 2

Filed under Bodily Distress Disorders, Bodily distress syndrome, Bodily stress syndrome, Chronic fatigue syndrome, ICD-11, ICD-11 Beta Draft, MUS, Per Fink, Somatic Symptom Disorder, Somatoform Disorders Tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

Opdater 2: Menneskerettighederne nægtet: Noget råddent i staten Danmark: Karina Hansen

June 19, 2013 by

Post #267 Shortlink: http://wp.me/pKrrB-3gj

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”I slår mig ihjel.”

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KH5

Rebecca Hansen, lay advocate to the Hansen family, has issued a further update on Karina’s situation.

Dansk udgave

Svært ME syg patient tvinges til eksperimentel behandling

Af Rebecca Hansen, formand for ME Foreningen

”I slår mig ihjel” gentager svært ME-syge Karina Hansen til sygeplejerskerne, når hun tvinges til kontroversiel og udokumenteret behandling, som kaldes GET (gradvist øget træning).

Karina, 24 år, har Myalgisk Encephalomyelitis (ME), en neuro-immun sygdom, som siden 1969 har haft World Health Organization koden G93.3.

ME-eksperterne savner stadig svar på mange aspekter af sygdommen, men der er bred enighed om, at ME-patienter lider af en dysfunktion i evnen til at producere energi og genvinde kræfter efter motion og enhver form for anstrengelse. Dette kaldes post-exertional malaise – eller PEM. Forskning har vist, at GET forværrer tilstanden hos størstedelen af let ramte ME-patienter [1] [2] [3].

I Belgien behandlede statsfinancierede referencecentre let angrebne ME-patienter med GET, men en evaluering af disse centre viste, at GET ikke var effektiv, og at patienterne faktisk kunne arbejde MINDRE efter de havde fået behandlingen [4] [5].

Read more of this post

Filed under Bodily Distress Disorders, Bodily distress syndrome, Bodily stress syndrome, Chronic fatigue syndrome, Functional Somatic Syndrome (FSS), ICD-11 Beta Draft, MUS, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), Per Fink, Somatic Symptom Disorder Tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

Update 2: Human Rights denied: Something rotten in the state of Denmark: Karina Hansen’s story

June 19, 2013 by

Post #266 Shortlink: http://wp.me/pKrrB-390

Update: Mental Health Act and related documents added at end of report.

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She tells the nurses, “You are killing me.” 

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KH6

Rebecca Hansen, lay advocate to the Hansen family, has issued a further update on Karina’s situation.

Experimental treatment forced on a severely ill ME patient

By Rebecca Hansen, chairman ME Association, Denmark

“You are killing me” is what severely ill Danish ME patient, Karina Hansen, has repeatedly said to her nurses while she is being forced to receive a controversial and unproven treatment known as Graded Exercise Therapy.

Karina, 24, has Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) which is a neuro-immune illness and has had a World Health Organisation code of G93.3 since 1969.

Much is still unknown about ME, but ME experts agree that ME patients have a dysfunction in their ability to produce energy and to recover from exercise or any type of exertion.

This is called post-exertional malaise or PEM. Studies have shown that GET makes the vast majority of mildly affected ME patients worse [1] [2] [3].

In Belgium, state-funded Reference Centers treated mildly affected ME-patients with GET, but an evaluation of these centers showed that GET was not effective and patients could actually work LESS after getting the treatment [4] [5]. The Belgian Minister of Health officially declared that GET should not be regarded as a curative therapy for ME [6].

Karina has severe ME and no studies of GET have been done on this patient group. Therefore treating severely ill ME patients with GET can only be seen as experimental.

It is illegal to force experimental treatment on patients in Denmark.

The doctors who have ordered this treatment are psychiatrists Nils Balle Christensen and Per Fink from The Research Clinic for Functional Disorders and Psychosomatics (RFD). It is completely unacceptable that Danish authorities are allowing the psychiatrists to treat Karina in this way.

Karina has been held against her will since February 12, 2013, and is forced to undergo GET every day. In 2011, Karina made it clear to the Medical Officer that she did not want GET. She cried when she told him that she wanted to get better, and had tried GET before, but it always made her worse.

The Medical Officer accepted that Karina was mentally healthy and capable of making her own decisions about her treatment. It was agreed she would not be forced to have any unwanted treatment. But this agreement has been broken when Karina was committed. She is now forced to endure GET every day.

Karina is so ill that she usually only has the energy to speak one word at a time. She does best with yes/no questions and questions that do not require complex thought. When her nurses push her too much, she gets angry and cries. Sometimes she summons the energy to say “You are killing me.” But the treatment goes on. If she says nothing, they assume she is cooperating.

I received this information on May 31, 2013, when I attended a meeting with Karina’s parents, her sister, an occupational therapist who treats Karina and a doctor from Hammel Neurocenter, where Karina is being held. The goal of the meeting was to discuss the list of restrictions about visits that Nils Balle Christensen (NBC) had sent to Karina’s parents. NBC is in charge of Karina’s care and Per Fink (PF) is his boss.

Karina’s parents were told they had to have this meeting is they wanted to see Karina. They had not been allowed to see her since she was committed.

Below are the major points from that meeting.

• Karina’s mother (parents) followed the recommendations of ME experts when caring for Karina at home. NBC and PF are ignoring those recommendations.

• At home Karina was allowed to decide her own treatment, but NBC and PF do not allow her to choose her treatment.

• When Karina was committed, all medication was stopped. The staff did not know what medicine she had been taking before she has committed. At home she took cortisol and supplements that were recommended by a doctor.

• Karina refuses to take any supplements or medicine of any kind at the hospital.

• Nils Balle Christensen and Per Fink do not believe that Karina has ME. The doctor we met on May 31 receives his information about Karina and ME from NBC and PF. This doctor said that ME is a “figment of the imagination” and doctors who believe in ME are “imbeciles.” (NBC and PF are officially in charge of all ME patients in Denmark.)

• Karina has been diagnosed with ME four times: twice by ME specialists, once by a rheumatology hospital and once by a psychiatrist.

• NBC and PF are not interested in working with ME specialists or anyone from outside their facility. I offered to have an ME expert come and examine Karina, but that was turned down.

• NBC and PF believe that Karina has a mental illness and probably had it for some time before she became bedbound. The doctor we spoke with said that treating Karina after the recommendations of ME specialists was malpractice and had made her worse. He would not tell the family the name of the illness they think Karina has, or what they think started it, but they were sure that the treatment for this mysterious mental illness was GET. Remember, there is NO evidence that Karina is or ever was mentally ill, as she was always declared mentally healthy.

• The written restrictions about visitations stated that Karina’s parents would only be allowed to see her if they would appear to support the treatment (GET) that Karina is being forced to have. They had not been allowed to visit before, because there was a suspicion that they would say something negative about the treatment. A nurse must be with them at all times to make sure Karina was not “affected in an inappropriate direction.”

• Karina was extremely ill the first week or so after she was committed to Hammel Neurocenter. Stress and overexertion make ME worse and Karina used a lot of energy trying to get help when they committed her. She repeatedly told them she did not want to be there and she made 26 phones calls for help, including one to the police, before her phone died. She has improved in comparison to that first week, but there is no significant improvement from when she was at home. She still cannot walk and she is still very anemic.

• When asked if Karina could speak in complete sentences, the doctor told us: She says and has always said, “You are killing me.” That is a whole sentence.

• They had recently put her on suicide watch because she had been crying a lot. This was never a concern when she was at home.

• The State Administration for Central Jutland (Statsforvaltningen Midtjylland) has appointed a legal guardian for Karina so it is now it is up to him to decide what is best for Karina.

After the meeting, I wrote to Karina’s guardian, telling him about ME and some of Karina’s history. I hope he will take his job seriously by reading all the material in the case and do what is best for Karina. I don’t know if I will receive information about Karina in the future.

Nils Balle Christensen, Per Fink and The Research Clinic for Functional Disorders and Psychosomatics are ordering the forced, experimental treatment of GET on Karina Hansen.

Their unfounded theory that ME can be cured by GET is behind this misguided “research.” And their actions are supported by the Danish government. These are the parties that should be held responsible for the actions taken against Karina and her family.

But the staff at Hammel Neurocenter are not completely innocent. They are blindly following the orders given by NBC and PF. When I first heard Karina would be at Hammel Neurocenter I had hope, because I thought they might be open to learning about ME and that maybe they could help her. I had hoped that they would do the testing that is recommended in the International Consensus Criteria for ME [7]. I thought they might find some things they could treat her for – such as hormone imbalances, immune dysfunction, low blood volume, chronic infections, etc.

Many imbalances are found in ME patients and when those things are treated, quality of life can improve. I had hoped that the staff would be open to learning about the disease that Karina has and do some critical thinking into what ME is. But after my visit to the hospital on May 31, 2013, these hopes are completely crushed.

All orders about Karina’s care come from NBC and PF and the staff is uncritically following them. I hope the staff at Hammel will think hard about what is being done to Karina and decide if they want to be a part of it.

Karina needs is to be in a place that understands ME and respects the special needs of severely ill ME patients. The Research Clinic for Functional Disorders and Psychosomatics clearly has no understanding of ME and is not interesting in learning anything that goes against their theory that ME is “a figment of the imagination.” They should not be in charge of ANY ME patient. And as long Nils Balle Christensen and Per Fink are giving the orders, Hammel Neurocenter is an unfit place for Karina.

Karina’s lawyer, the ME Association, Denmark, and thousands of people who are aware of Karina’s situation continue to fight for her rights.

1 http://www.me-foreningen.dk/filer/Forskning_viser_CBT_og_GET_ikke_helbreder_ME.pdf
2 http://www.iacfsme.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=Rd2tIJ0oHqk%3D&tabid=501
3 http://www.pugilator.com/awareness/is-this-the-end-for-the-belgian-cfs-reference-centers/
4 http://www.me-foreningen.dk/images/stories/me-cfs/pdf/cbt-%20get%20reivew%20twisk-maes.pdf
5 http://me-foreningen.com/meforeningen/innhold/div/2012/09/CFS-la-b%C3%AAte-noire-of-the-Belgian-Health-Care-System-Maes-Twisk.pdf
6 http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7015/8/35
7 http://www.me-foreningen.dk/images/stories/me-cfs/pdf/ic%20primer%20-denne%20anbef.%20kopi%203.pdf

Rebecca Hansen, chairman, ME Association, Denmark

Related documents

With the caveat that this document relates to English Law:
http://www.pbs.plymouth.ac.uk/PLR/vol3/Perrin.pdf
Plymouth Law Review (2010)
CHALLENGING COMPULSORY ADMISSION TO HOSPITAL UNDER THE MENTAL HEALTH ACT 1983:
DOES THE LAW ADEQUATELY PROTECT THE RIGHT TO LIBERTY?
Harry Perrin
—————
Danish Mental Health Act
http://www.netpsykiater.dk/htmsgd/psykiatriloven.htm
—————
Mental health law in Denmark (From Page 86)
Mette Brandt-Christensen MD PhD
http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/pdf/IPv9n4.pdf
—————
Compulsory Admission and Involuntary Treatment of Mentally Ill Patients – Legislation and Practice in EU-Member States
Final Report, Mannheim, Germany, May 15, 2002, Hans Joachim
http://ec.europa.eu/health/ph_projects/2000/promotion/fp_promotion_2000_frep_08_en.pdf
Denmark: From Page 60
—————
CommDH/IssuePaper (2012) 2
WHO GETS TO DECIDE?
Right to legal capacity for persons with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities, Strasbourg, 20 February 2012
https://wcd.coe.int/ViewDoc.jsp?id=1908555
(Information on guardianship)

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Clarification

Reports and updates on Dx Revision Watch site on the Hansen family’s situation are being published as provided by, and in consultation with, Rebecca Hansen, Chairman, ME Foreningen, Danmark (ME Association, Denmark), or edited from reports as provided.
Dx Revision Watch site has no connection with any petitions or initiatives, or with any social media platforms or other platforms set up to promote petitions or initiatives, or to otherwise raise awareness of the Hansen family’s situation.
All enquiries in relation to any petitions or other initiatives, or social media platforms, or any other platforms associated with them should be addressed directly to the organizers, sponsors or owners responsible for them.

+++

Previous posts

Something rotten in the state of Denmark: Karina Hansen’s story: http://wp.me/pKrrB-2Xc

Human Rights denied: Something rotten in the state of Denmark: Karina Hansen’s story: Update 1: http://wp.me/pKrrB-35o

Menneskerettighederne nægtet: Noget råddent i staten Danmark: Karina Hansen: Opdater 1: http://wp.me/pKrrB-36e

(Update in English and Danish)

Karina Hansen initiatives: A clarification: http://wp.me/pKrrB-38n

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Links

Website for the ME Association, Denmark, ME Foreningen, Danmark www.me-foreningen.dk

Official petition launched and sponsored by the ME Association of Denmark, and approved by the Hansen family: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/postcardtokarina/
For more information on the ME Association of Denmark’s postcard campaign go here on Facebook
For information on Bodily Distress Syndrome see Part Two of Dx Revision Watch Post: ICD-11 Beta draft and BDD, Per Fink and Bodily Distress Syndrome
Opdater 2: Menneskerettighederne nægtet: Noget råddent i staten Danmark: Karina Hansen: http://wp.me/pKrrB-390
Update 2: Human Rights denied: Something rotten in the state of Denmark: Karina Hansen’s story: http://wp.me/pKrrB-390
Update 2: Ontkenning van mensenrechten: Iets verrot in de staat van Denemarken: Het verhaal van Karina Hansen: http://wp.me/pKrrB-390
Update 2: Menschenrechtsverstoß: Etwas ist faul in Dänemark: Karina Hansens Geschichte: http://wp.me/pKrrB-390
Update 2: Droits de l’Homme: Il y a quelque chose de pourri au royaume du Danemark: l’histoire de Karina Hansen: http://wp.me/pKrrB-390

Filed under Bodily Distress Disorders, Bodily distress syndrome, Bodily stress syndrome, Chronic fatigue syndrome, Functional Somatic Syndrome (FSS), ICD-11 Beta Draft, MUS, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), Per Fink, Somatic Symptom Disorder Tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

Update on ICD-11 Beta drafting: Bodily Distress Disorder: emerging proposals: Part One

June 15, 2013 by

Post #265 Shortlink: http://wp.me/pKrrB-3cr

Update on ICD-11 Beta drafting: Bodily Distress Disorder: emerging proposals: Part One

This report should be read in conjunction with the caveats at the end of the post, on Page 3.

Part One

The technical work associated with the preparation of ICD-11, the field testing and trials evaluation will need to be completed next year if WHO is going to meet its target of presenting ICD-11 for World Health Assembly approval in May 2015, with pilot implementation by 2016.

Three distinct versions of the ICD-11 classification of Mental and Behavioural Disorders are under development: an abridged version for use in primary care, a detailed version for use in specialty settings and a version for use in research.

The ICD-10 Somatoform Disorders are under revision for all three versions and the primary care and speciality versions are being developed simultaneously.

ICD10-PC, the abridged version of ICD, is used in developed and developing countries and in the training of medical officers, nurses and multi-purpose health workers. Globally, more than 90% of patients with mental health problems are managed by practitioners or health workers in general medical or primary care settings – not by psychiatrists.

Over 400 mental disorders are classified in the speciality version of ICD-10 Chapter V. These are condensed to 26 mental disorders for the primary care version – a list can be found on Page 49 of this book chapter, in Table 2.4.

Each disorder in ICD10-PC provides information on patient presentation, clinical descriptions, differential diagnoses, treatments, indications for referrals and information sheets for patients and families.

A revised list of disorders proposed for inclusion in the forthcoming ICD-11-PHC can be viewed on Page 51, in Table 2.5 [1].

For new and revised disorders included in the primary care version there will need to be an equivalent disorder in the core ICD-11 classification.

Existing Somatoform Disorders in the core ICD-10 version can be viewed here: ICD-10 Version: 2010 browser: Somatoform Disorders or from Page 129 in The ICD-10 Classification of Mental and Behavioural Disorders, Clinical descriptions and diagnostic guidelines.

A chart showing the grouping of the detailed core version categories and the 26 corresponding disorders in ICD10-PC can be found here, see Page 8, for F45 Unexplained somatic complaints and F45  Somatoform disorders (ICD-10): Connections between ICD-10 PC and ICD-10 Chapter V.

Where reports of emerging proposals for ICD-11 have been published by ICD revision working group members, the recommendations within them may be subject to refinement or revision following analysis of focus group studies, external review and multicentre field trials to assess the validity and clinical utility of proposals for application in developed and developing countries, in high and low resource settings and across general, speciality and research settings [2].

Not all proposals for new or revised disorders are expected to survive the field trials.

Two working groups are making recommendations for the revision of ICD-10’s Somatoform Disorders:

A WHO Primary Care Consultation Group (known as the PCCG) has been appointed to lead the development of the revision of ICD10-PC, the abridged classification of mental and behavioural disorders for use in primary care settings. The PCCG is charged with developing and field testing the full set of disorders for inclusion in ICD-11-PHC, for which 28 mental disorders are currently proposed.

The PCCG members are SWC Chan, AC Dowell, S Fortes, L Gask, KS Jacob, M Klinkman (Vice Chair), TP Lam, JK Mbatia, FA Minhas, G Reed, and M Rosendal. The PCCG is chaired by Prof, Sir David Goldberg.

A WHO Expert Working Group on Somatic Distress and Dissociative Disorders (known as the S3DWG) was constituted in 2011 to review the scientific evidence for, and clinical utility of the ICD-10 somatoform and dissociative disorders; to review proposals for the DSM-5 somatic symptom disorders and dissociative disorders categories and to consider their suitability or not for global applications; to review proposals and provide draft content for the somatic distress and dissociative disorder categories in line with the overall ICD revision requirements; to propose entities and descriptions for the classification of somatic distress and dissociative disorders for use in diverse global and primary care settings. External reviewers are also consulted on proposals and content.

The full S3DWG membership list is not publicly available but the group is understood to comprise 17 international behavioural health professionals, of which Prof Francis Creed is a member. The S3DWG is Chaired by Prof Oye Gureje.

Responsibilities of ICD-11 working groups are set out on Page 3 (1.1.) of document [3] in the References. Document [3] also includes information on the ICD-11 field trials, from Page 8 (4.).

1. Goldberg DP. Comparison Between ICD and DSM Diagnostic Systems for Mental Disorders. In: Sorel E, (Ed.) 21st Century Global Mental Health. Jones & Bartlett Learning, 2012: 37-53. Free PDF, Sample Chapter Two: http://samples.jbpub.com/9781449627874/Chapter2.pdf
2. PDF WHO ICD Revision Information Note, Field Testing, June 2012
3. Responsibilities of ICD-11 working groups set out on Page 3 of 2012 Annual Report of the International Union of Psychological Science to the American Psychological Association, Revision of World Health Organization’s ICD-10 Mental and Behavioural Disorders, Pierre L.-J. Ritchie, Ph.D., Main Representative to the World Health Organization, International Union of Psychological Science, January, 2013

Continued on Page 2

Filed under Bodily Distress Disorders, Bodily distress syndrome, Bodily stress syndrome, Chronic fatigue syndrome, ICD-11, ICD-11 Beta Draft, MUS, Per Fink, Somatic Symptom Disorder, Somatoform Disorders Tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

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