In this study, about 60% of the women with MCS were
of the women in the control group. This seems to indicate
that a large number of cases of MCS have a psychological
origin. For these people, MCS may be their expression of
rather than any sort of toxic or immunological phenomenon.
That's not the same thing as saying that all MCS cases are
psychological in origin -- but about a third seem to be
percentage of MCS cases are psychological in origin, the
only question being whether the actual figure is 100% or
some smaller number.
Ann Allergy 1993 Dec;71(6):538-46 Adult sequelae of
childhood abuse presenting as environmental illness.
Staudenmayer H, Selner ME, Selner JC. Allergy Respiratory
Institute of Colorado, Denver 80222.
Sixty-three patients with polysomatic complaints attributed
to sensitivity to environmental chemicals had detailed
clinical assessments and diagnostic psychologic evaluations.
Objective medical parameters failed to substantiate their
beliefs that multiple chemicals were the cause of their
problems. A group of 64 patients with chronic medical
conditions and defined psychologic disorders not attributed
to chemical exposure served as controls. Approximately half
the patients in each group underwent long-term
psychotherapy, and in these patients, the prevalence of
higher (P < .05) among the cohort of women who attributed
their symptoms to environmental or chemically related
illness. These data suggest that somatization may reflect
sequelae of childhood abuse and may play an important role
in the illness experienced by women who believe they are
sensitive to environmental chemicals.