Chronic fatigue syndrome: An update for psychiatrists
Camila Prochalska, Florence Gressier, Emmanuelle Corruble
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DOI: 10.4236/ojpsych.2012.21007   PDF    HTML     6,641 Downloads   12,399 Views   Citations

Abstract

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a poorly understood condition primarily characterized by debilitateing, persistent or recurrent fatigue, increased physical and mental fatigability, cognitive impairment and widespread musculoskeletal pain. During the past two decades, there have been heated debates about CFS among researchers, practitioners and patients. The existence of the disorder has been questioned, its underlying pathophysiology debated and an effective treatment opposed (such as antidepressants, stimulants or antibiotics). A lot of multidisciplinary literature is found about CFS, but to date, many psychiatrists seem to unknown the existence of this illness or think that it is a purely psychological disorder. However, CFS is sitting on the border between medicine and psychiatry. The aim of this review is to make psychiatrists aware of the existence of CFS and that they will, one day, be confronted with the management of this illness. Thus, this update allows understanding what is CFS, the diversity of physiopathology underlined and its management.

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Prochalska, C. , Gressier, F. and Corruble, E. (2012) Chronic fatigue syndrome: An update for psychiatrists. Open Journal of Psychiatry, 2, 40-48. doi: 10.4236/ojpsych.2012.21007.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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