Day: July 14, 2025

In an ideal world, people would get the support they need to live their lives to the fullest. But for many people with ME, their health problems have a profound impact on all aspects of their lives. They may become housebound or bedbound, and they struggle to access appropriate care and treatment.

ME (myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome) can cause symptoms such as persistent tiredness, pain, sleep difficulties and difficulty thinking and concentrating, known as ‘brain fog’. The illness can have a very severe impact on a person’s life, and some have to limit their activities or stop working and schooling.

The exact cause of ME is unknown. However, it is thought that there are neurological and immunological elements to the condition. Research has also shown that certain infections, including but not limited to viruses, can trigger ME/CFS.

Despite the fact that ME/CFS is a very serious, chronic and debilitating disease, there is no cure or drug therapy available. Currently, ME is diagnosed by doctors based on the presence of one or more of the symptoms: significant impairment of daily functioning and activity that lasts six months or more, unrefreshing sleep, post-exertional malaise (PEM), cognitive dysfunction and orthostatic intolerance.

Research into ME has made good progress in recent years, but more funding is needed for the development of new diagnostic tools and effective treatments. Open Medicine Foundation’s guiding strategy focuses on open collaborative ME/CFS research to bring about precise diagnostic tests and life-changing treatments as soon as possible.

Campaigners are calling for a major reform of the NHS and wider public services to ensure that those with ME and illnesses like long Covid receive an accurate diagnosis and quality care. This would include ensuring that patients have local, clinically led ME services, and regional specialist centres for the most severe cases.

As well as ensuring patients can access an accurate diagnosis, campaigners are also calling for the NHS to offer more home visits for those with ME/CFS. This is so that they can have someone with them to help them manage their symptoms and support them when they are too tired or unable to move around.

The UK charity Action for ME says that there are up to 750,000 people living with ME in the country. They face “severe barriers” to getting the care they need, the organisation’s chief executive, Sonya Chowdhury, said this week. They are often overlooked, misdiagnosed and mistreated. Their quality of life is significantly worse than those with HIV/AIDS, heart disease, cancer or other diseases with similar levels of disability. They are also much more likely to experience depression, and have more psychiatric problems. Those with severe ME have a very high risk of suicide. The charity is urging GPs to ask for referrals for ME patients, as the number of diagnosed cases is much lower than the true figure. They are also calling on the government to invest more in ME research and services. This includes ensuring that ME/CFS experts are trained and supported, and that they are able to work with NHS teams to improve care for ME/CFS patients.

A word that evokes all kinds of emotions, from the butterflies of romantic feelings to the bonding with friends and family. Love enriches our lives and provides a source of support in difficult times. Yet it remains a concept that is hard to define. Over the years, researchers and psychologists have debated what love is and how to describe it.

In modern psychology, it has often been viewed as an emotion like happiness or anger. However, some view it as something more akin to a fundamental human drive, much like the biological need for food or water. This idea of love is more akin to the theories of attachment and bonding that Jean Piaget and John Bowlby developed, as well as the notion of love expressed by religions and spiritual traditions.

Psychologist Barbara Fredrickson defines love as a “positive resonance,” which includes shared positive emotions, biobehavioral synchrony, and mutual care. She also says that love is a momentary feeling that expands our awareness of others and of ourselves.

She points out that while liking someone involves physical attraction, loving them is about who they are at their core. It is about how they make you laugh, the way they take care of themselves, their work ethic, and more. When we love a person, we want them to do the best they can, not only for us but for themselves. We are more likely to forgive them when they make mistakes.

A person in love will show their love for a friend or loved one by helping them with problems or making sacrifices to meet their needs. This type of love is a more altruistic form of the emotion, and it may be seen in the commitment of a parent or friend to a loved one who has a difficult habit of self-destructive behavior. The commitment is not simply a desire to help the person break free of these patterns, but also a delight in them as a person.

Some researchers believe that love is not an emotion at all, but rather a complex experience combining various primary emotions. However, this theory is inconsistent with the evidence that shows that humans cannot survive without a love connection with another. Furthermore, the experience of love is not consistent across individuals and cultures.

When you write about love, it is important to show the full range of emotions. You want to evoke the nervousness of a first date, the comfort of a long-term partnership, and the heartache of separation. Readers will more easily connect with your characters if they can see the emotional ups and downs of their own relationships in your story.

Whether you are writing about romance, friendship, or family, it is also important to remember that everyone deserves love. Despite their imperfections and the ways they can hurt you, every person is worth loving. If you find yourself struggling with an unhealthy relationship, consider therapy or seeking counseling to address the issues at hand.