Treatment of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Authors: Sean B.M. Kirby
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2015)

Letters1 December 2015Treatment of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue SyndromeSean B.M. KirbySean B.M. KirbyFrom Howard Springs, Northern Territory, Australia.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/L15-5172 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:I read Smith and colleagues' review (1) with interest and would like to make 2 points in response to White and associates' comment. First, counseling, with its more modest, noncurative goal of helping patients adapt to limitations imposed by chronic disease and disability, does not posit a primary causative role for cognitive behavioral factors. However, the cognitive behavioral model for CFS does posit such a role and hence claims curative potential by modifying those factors through CBT (2).No clinical trials are available that directly compare counseling and CBT for CFS, but 2 trials do so for ...References1. Smith ME, Haney E, McDonagh M, Pappas M, Daeges M, Wasson N, et al. Treatment of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome: a systematic review for a National Institutes of Health Pathways to Prevention Workshop. Ann Intern Med. 2015;162:841-50. [PMID: 26075755]. doi:10.7326/M15-0114 LinkGoogle Scholar2. White PD, Goldsmith KA, Johnson AL, Potts L, Walwyn R, DeCesare JC, et al; PACE trial management group. Comparison of adaptive pacing therapy, cognitive behaviour therapy, graded exercise therapy, and specialist medical care for chronic fatigue syndrome (PACE): a randomised trial. Lancet. 2011;377:823-36. [PMID: 21334061] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Ridsdale L, Godfrey E, Chalder T, Seed P, King M, Wallace P, et al; Fatigue Trialists' Group. Chronic fatigue in general practice: is counselling as good as cognitive behaviour therapy? A UK randomised trial. Br J Gen Pract. 2001;51:19-24. [PMID: 11271868] MedlineGoogle Scholar4. Ridsdale L, Hurley M, King M, McCrone P, Donaldson N. The effect of counselling, graded exercise and usual care for people with chronic fatigue in primary care: a randomized trial. Psychol Med. 2012;42:2217-24. [PMID: 22370004] doi:10.1017/S0033291712000256 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From Howard Springs, Northern Territory, Australia.Disclosures: Authors have disclosed no conflicts of interest. Forms can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterest Forms.do?msNum=L15-0446. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoDiagnostic Methods for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Systematic Review for a National Institutes of Health Pathways to Prevention Workshop Elizabeth Haney , M.E. Beth Smith , Marian McDonagh , Miranda Pappas , Monica Daeges , Ngoc Wasson , and Heidi D. Nelson Treatment of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Alem Matthees Treatment of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Lily Chu , Lucinda Bateman , Todd Davenport , Eleanor Stein , and Staci Stevens Treatment of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Tom Kindlon and Charles Shepherd Treatment of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome M.E. Beth Smith , Elizabeth Haney , and Heidi D. Nelson Treatment of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Peter D. White , Daniel J. Clauw , Jos W.M. van der Meer , Rona Moss-Morris , and Renee R. Taylor Treatment of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Maik Speedy Metrics Cited byCould the kynurenine pathway be the key missing piece of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) complex puzzle? 1 December 2015Volume 163, Issue 11Page: 885-886KeywordsClinical trialsCognitive behavior therapyConflicts of interestDisabilitiesDisclosureExerciseExercise therapyFatigue ePublished: 1 December 2015 Issue Published: 1 December 2015 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2015 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...