some quarters. in her 1997 book hystories: hysterical epidemics and modern culture, literary critic and feminist elaine showalter argues that chronic fatigue syndrome is a "hysterical narrative", a modern manifestation of hysteria, a self-perpetuating "cultural symptom of anxiety and stress" historically assigned to women. political a 2006 report by the uk parliamentary group on scientific research into myalgic encephalomyelitis stated that: "cfs/me is defined as a psychosocial illness by the department for work and pensions (dwp) and medical insurance companies. therefore, claimants are not entitled to the higher level of benefit payments. we recognise that if cfs/me remains as one illness and/or both remain defined as psychosocial then it would be in the financial interest of both the dwp and the medical insurance companies." the group called for investigation of what they called, "numerous cases where advisors to the dwp have also had consultancy roles in medical insurance companies. particularly the company unumprovident. given the vested interest private medical insurance companies have in ensuring cfs/me remain classified as a psychosocial illness there is blatant conflict of interest here." the secretary of state for work and pensions responded that "entitlement to disability living allowance depends on the effects that severe physical or mental disability has on a person's need for personal care and/or their ability to walk, and not on particular disabilities or diagnoses. the benefit is available to people with myalgic encephalomyelitis (which can have a physical basis or a psychological basis, or can be due to a combination of factors) on exactly the same terms as other severely disabled people, and they can qualify for it provided that they meet the usual entitlement conditions." reports of researcher harassment in the uk dr. simon wessely, one of the researchers who said he experienced harassment due to his views on cfs researchers who advocate classifying cfs as a psychosocial illness have been criticized by those who believe that their work draws attention and funding away from research into biomedical treatments. in 2012, several prominent uk researchers adopting the psychosocial perspective reported to the press that they had been verbally abused by patients, and one reported receiving death threats. in 2019, pace trial author prof. michael sharpe said that he was subject to near daily intimidation and abuse from people upset with his work, because they believe it means the illness is psychological. he said that he believes that cfs is a "biological condition that can be perpetuated by social and psychological factors". blease and geragty (2018) investigated the assertions, and submitted that the claims of researcher harassment were used to argue against releasing the full anonymised data from the pace trial at the 2016 freedom of information tribunal. the tribunal judge stated the claims of harassment had been "wildly exaggerated by the trial authors and their expert witnesses", and ordered the release of the data. blease and geragty found "no compelling evidence" the vast majority of me/cfs patients or their advocacy organizations had adopted "militant political policies or behaviours", and reported me/cfs activists used public discourse and scientific publications analogous to 1980s "aids" activists. they concluded the medical establishment's negative perceptions of persons with me/cfs, and indifference to patient's opinions conceptualized the me/cfs community's discontent.