Letter: In Brief

Sir: I have concerns about a psychiatric bias in the Department of Health working group on the illness ME, set up to produce good practice guidelines for doctors.

The group has three sections, a key group writing the guidelines, a children's group, and a reference group, to comment on proceedings but with no decision- making power. Among others, the working group contains: seven psychiatric specialists (three in the key group), most known to view the illness as mainly psychological, and two counsellors or therapists.

There is one neurologist, and one immunologist - both of whom are on the reference group (with little power).

Has the agenda been set before the first meeting?

LAURA JONES

Dunvant,

West Glamorgan