This morning on Radio 4’s Today programme Dr Simon Wessely claimed that he had received a series of death threats and threatening phone calls because of his views on ME, and now has his mail routinely scanned for suspect devices. The programme also highlighted the problem of scientists being scared away from research into CFS because of intimidation.

Picking up that story the Radio Wales Phone-in at lunchtime asked the question: Is ME physical or psychological? They invited people with ME to ring in and talk about their experiences. Dr Charles Shepherd from the ME Association, Dr Esther Crawley from the Bath University’s Dept of Paediatrics and Michelle and Sylvia Penny from WAMES were amongst the people who were interviewed. All condemned the extreme actions of a small group of people who harassed others. The points that were highlighted were the difficulty of getting a diagnosis and treatment in Wales, the debilitating nature of the condition and the desperate need for bio-medical research into the causes.

The Radio Wales Phone-in is now available on You tube.

You can hear the Radio 4 Today programme news item and an interview with Simon Wessely and read more about it on the BBC website.