Fatigue
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) / Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) is characterized by extreme fatigue, post-exertional malaise, and feeling generally unwell. The causes for CFS/ME are not fully understood and possible causes include viral infections, immune disturbances, or disturbances to the central nervous system. As with any human experience, CFS has a psychological component, which means that psychological approaches can form part of a support or treatment package for CFS/ME.
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Emotions Motivate Actions
Many clients find it helpful to recognize the range of actions that are motivated by different emotional states. This worksheet encourages clients to ...
https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/emotions-motivate-actions
Information handouts
Fatigue Activity Diary
Activity diaries are a crucial information-gathering tool. They can be used for activity monitoring during an assessment phase of therapy, symptom mon ...
https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/fatigue-activity-diary
Worksheets
How Your Body Responds To Stress
Many clients identify with the concept of ‘stress’ more readily than ‘threat’ and the The How Your Body Responds To Stress information handou ...
https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/how-your-body-responds-to-stress
Information handouts
Pacing For Pain And Fatigue
Pacing is an evidence-based approach to increasing activity and fitness, and in reducing overall pain and fatigue. It is designed to prevent 'boom and ...
https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/pacing-for-pain-and-fatigue
Exercises
Understanding Burnout
Our ‘Understanding…’ series is a collection of psychoeducation guides for common mental health conditions. Friendly and explanatory, they are co ...
https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/understanding-burnout
Guides
What Is Burnout?
Our ‘What Is … ?’ series is a collection of one-page information handouts for common mental health conditions. Friendly and explanatory, handout ...
https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/what-is-burnout
Information handouts
Intervention
Treatment guidelines
- Myalgic encephalomyelitis (or encephalopathy)/chronic fatigue syndrome: diagnosis and management | National Institute For Health And Care Excellence | 2021 download archived copy
Treatment manuals
- CBT for Chronic Fatigue: Therapist Manual | Starbuck, Loades, Chapple | 2022 download archived copy
The PACE trial was a large-scale study comparing CBT, graded exercise therapy (GET), and standard medical care for CFS. The results have been the matter of some debate, and graded exercise therapy is explicitly contraindicated in the most recent NICE guidelines (2021).
- CBT for CFS therapist manual
downloadarchived copy - CBT for CFS participant manual
downloadarchived copy
Information Handouts
- Post-exertional malaise avoidance toolkit | Solve ME/CFS Initiative download archived copy
- Pacing for people with M.E. – Action For M.E.
downloadarchive copy - Self-help guide to recovery for chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia download archived copy
- Understanding chronic fatigue syndrome download archived copy
- CFS self-help information – Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS
downloadarchived copy - CFS/ME Self-Management Workbook | Torbay & South Devon CFS/ME Service download archived copy
Centers For Disease Control And Prevention Toolkit
- ME/CFS Assessment Overview Table | CDC download archived copy
- What Is ME/CFS? | CDC download archived copy
- What Are ME/CFS Symptoms? | CDC download archived copy
- Managing Specific Symptoms | CDC download archived copy
- Managing Post-Exertional Malaise (PEM) | CDC download archived copy
- Other Supportive Strategies | CDC download archived copy
Recommended Reading
- Hartle, M., Bateman, L., & Vernon, S. D. (2021). Dissecting the nature of post-exertional malaise. Fatigue: Biomedicine, Health & Behavior, 9(1), 33-44. download
- Larun, L., Brurberg, K. G., Odgaard‐Jensen, J., & Price, J. R. (2016). Exercise therapy for chronic fatigue syndrome. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (2). download archived copy
- Marques, M. M., De Gucht, V., Gouveia, M. J., Leal, I., & Maes, S. (2015). Differential effects of behavioral interventions with a graded physical activity component in patients suffering from Chronic Fatigue (Syndrome): An updated systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical psychology review, 40, 123-137.
downloadarchived copy - White, P. D., Goldsmith, K., Johnson, A. L., Chalder, T., & Sharpe, M. (2013). Recovery from chronic fatigue syndrome after treatments given in the PACE trial. Psychological medicine, 43(10), 2227-2235. download archived copy
What Is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome / Myalgic Encephalomyelitis?
Signs and Symptoms of CFS/ME
CFS/ME is characterized by disabling tiredness (fatigue) that lasts a long time and cannot be explained by other causes. CFS/ME should be considered if the fatigue prevents the individual from doing things that they used to be able to, if the fatigue gets worse after activity or gentle exercise, or if the following symptoms are present:
- sleep problems
- pain in the muscles or joints
- headaches
- sore throat or sore glands that aren’t swollen
- problems thinking, remembering, concentrating, or planning
- flu-like symptoms
- feeling dizzy or sick or having palpitations
- exercising or concentrating on something makes your symptoms worse
Psychological Models and Theory of CFS/ME
Understanding of the causes and maintenance of CFS/ME is incomplete. Biomedical factors likely play a role. Like any physical illness it is normal to have thoughts and feelings about symptoms and what they mean, and so psychological approaches also have potential clinical value. Models of CFS/ME including psychological factors include:
- Browne and Chalder (2006)
- Burgess and Chalder (2004)
- Vercoulen et al. (1998)
- Harvey and Wessely (2009)
- Roche, Dawson, Moghaddam, Abey, and Gresswell (2017)
- Wiborg, Knoop, Frank, and Bleijenberg (2012)
References
- Browne, T., & Chalder, T. (2006). Chronic fatigue syndrome. Psychiatry, 5(2), 48–51.
- Burgess, M., & Chalder, T. (2004). Cognitive behaviourtherapy for CFS/ME: PACE manual for participants. MREC v. 2. Retrieved from: https://me-pedia.org/images/7/7a/PACE-cbt-participant-manual.pdf
- Harvey, S. B., & Wessely, S. (2009). Chronic fatigue syndrome: Identifying zebras amongst the horses. BMC Medicine, 7(1), 58. https://doi.org/10.1186/1741-7015-7-58
- Roche, L., Dawson, D. L., Moghaddam, N. G., Abey, A., & Gresswell, D. M. (2017). An Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) intervention for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS): A case series approach. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 6(2), 178–186.
- Science Media Centre (2018). Science Media Centre Factsheet: CFS/ME—The illness and the controversy. Retrieved from: http://www.sciencemediacentre.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Science-Media-Centre-Factsheet-CFS-ME.pdf
- Vercoulen, J. H. M. M., Swanink, C. M. A., Galama, J. M. D., Fennis, J. F. M., Jongen, P. J. H., Hommes, O. R., van der Meer, J. W., & Bleijenberg, G. (1998). The persistence of fatigue in chronic fatigue syndrome and multiple sclerosis: Development of a model. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 45(6), 507–517.
- Wiborg, J. F., Knoop, H., Frank, L. E., & Bleijenberg, G. (2012). Towards an evidence-based treatment model for cognitive behavioral interventions focusing on chronic fatigue syndrome. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 72(5), 399–404.