Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a common and debilitating illness [1]. As yet the pathophysiology of CFS remains inchoate, so pharmacologic management aims to alleviate symptoms and is not curative. Cognitive-behavioral therapy and graded exercise therapy appear to be the most effective treatments for CFS [2]. Such therapies require that patients understand, adhere to and practice specific activities to manage their thoughts and expenditure of physical energy. This necessary understanding and commitment are heavily impacted by patients’ coping styles and concomitant psychopathology. In a previous population-based study, we found that people with CFS were significantly more likely to use maladaptive everyday coping strategies than non-fatigued matched controls [3]. In another population-based study, we found that about 60% of people with CFS suffered psychiatric comorbidity; in particular affective and anxiety disorders [4], and displayed maladaptive personality styles [5]. In the current population-based study, we examined coping styles in CFS and how these are affected by depression and anxiety.
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Source: Nater UM, Maloney E, Lin JM, Heim C, Reeves WC. Coping styles in chronic fatigue syndrome: findings from a population-based study. Psychother Psychosom. 2012;81(2):127-9. doi: 10.1159/000329996. Epub 2012 Feb 2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3701445/ (Full article)