This open letter invites psychologists who hold Chartered Psychologist (CPsychol) status with the British Psychological Society and/or Health and Care Professions Council registration as a Practitioner Psychologist to support increased biomedical research into myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME). Signatures are given in an individual professional capacity, not on behalf of employers or professional bodies. Retired psychologists who also held CPsychol or HCPC registration may also sign.
The open letter
The Rt Hon Andy Burnham MP
Prime Minister
10 Downing Street
London SW1A 2AA
Dear Prime Minister,
Re: Psychologists supporting Beth Dobbin’s call for ME research funding
We are writing as psychologists to support Olympian Beth Dobbin’s appeal for increased research funding for myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), and the letter of support signed by over 500 figures from the world of sport.
As psychologists, we recognise that the causes and mechanisms of ME are not yet fully understood, and that all causal explanations must be evaluated against robust scientific evidence. However, ME has too often been psychologised, with psychological and behavioural explanations advanced beyond the available evidence. This has contributed to the misunderstanding of a serious, disabling illness and, too often, the dismissal of patients’ experiences.
Psychology has an important contribution to make in supporting people living with chronic illness, and psychological support and medical care can be complementary. However, psychological support is not a substitute for biomedical investigation, appropriate medical care or effective treatments. Nor should uncertainty about the mechanisms of ME be taken as evidence of psychological or behavioural causation.
For some of us, this issue is also personal. The psychologist initiating this letter has written about his experience of ME, including its effects on work, relationships, independence and participation in everyday life.
We welcome recent advances in biomedical research, but sustained and substantially increased investment is needed. We therefore support Beth’s request for a meeting and urge your government to provide the remaining £15 million needed for the Sequence ME and Long Covid study, alongside a properly funded, long-term programme of ME research with clear annual funding targets, informed by patients, clinicians and researchers.
People with ME deserve to be heard, believed and supported by the best science available.
Yours sincerely,
The undersigned UK psychologists who currently hold, or held before retirement, BPS Chartered Psychologist status or HCPC Practitioner Psychologist registration
Sign the letter
Eligibility: You must currently hold BPS Chartered Psychologist status (CPsychol) and/or HCPC registration as a Practitioner Psychologist, or be retired and have previously held either status. This includes those who retired for medical reasons. Please provide one current or former professional body and membership/registration number for checking your eligibility, if known. If you no longer have your number, please state this in the verification field. Numbers and email addresses will not be published.
Before submitting: Signatures will be checked before inclusion in the published list. Submission does not constitute immediate publication.
Privacy information
This independent initiative is organised by Dr Steven Shorrock CPsychol FBPsS. Your name and professional credentials may be published as part of the open letter. Your email address, professional body and membership/registration number, and any professional specialism provided will be used privately to assess eligibility and administer signatures, and will not be published. These private details will be accessible only to the organiser or authorised administrators and deleted within three months of submitting the letter to the government, unless retention is legally required. To request withdrawal or ask about your information, email contact@humanisticsystems.com. Withdrawn signatures will be removed from materials under the organiser’s control, but copies already circulated cannot necessarily be recalled. This initiative is not an official BPS or HCPC statement.
Verified signatories
Names and professional credentials will be listed here following verification and consent.
- Dr Steven Shorrock, CPsychol, FBPsS
- Christopher Kelly, CPsychol, AFBPsS
- Tayana Soukup, CPsychol
- Professor Paul Hutton, HCPC-registered Clinical Psychologist
- Rhona Trotter, HCPC-registered Clinical Psychologist
- Professor David Murphy, AFBPsS
- Dr Will Vogt, HCPC-registered Clinical Psychologist
- Dr Laura Walton, HCPC-registered Clinical Psychologist and CPsychol AFBPSS
- Debbie Wint, Retired CPsychol with ME
- Alison Croft, CPsychol
- Joan Crawford, CPsychol, HCPC-registered Counselling Psychologist
- Leasa Clarke, CPsychol, AFBPsS
- Dr Jo Greer, CPsychol, HCPC-registered Educational Psychologist and full-time carer
- Samantha Rankin, HCPC-registered Clinical Psychologist