Author(s)

Camila Prochalska, Florence Gressier, Emmanuelle Corruble

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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.

Fatigue; Chronic Fatigue Syndrome; Diagnosis; Physiopathology; Treatment

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.