Tag: anxiety

Generalized anxiety disorder in chronic fatigue syndrome

Abstract:

A structured psychiatric interview, forming part of a global psychopathological approach, revealed higher prevalence rates of current and lifetime psychiatric disorders and a higher degree of psychiatric comorbidity in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) than in a medical control group. In contrast to previous studies, a very high prevalence of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) was found in CFS, characterized by an early onset and a high rate of psychiatric comorbidity.

It is postulated that GAD represents a susceptibility factor for the development of CFS. A significantly higher prevalence was also observed for the somatization disorder (SD) in the CFS group. Apart from a higher female-to-male ratio in fibromyalgia, no marked differences were observed in sociodemographic or illness-related features, or in psychiatric morbidity, between CFS patients with and without fibromyalgia. CFS patients with SD have a longer illness duration and a higher rate of psychiatric comorbidity.

These findings are consistent with the suggestion of Hickie et al. (1) that chronic fatigued subjects with SD should be distinguished from subjects with CFS.

 

Source: Fischler B, Cluydts R, De Gucht Y, Kaufman L, De Meirleir K. Generalized anxiety disorder in chronic fatigue syndrome. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 1997 May;95(5):405-13. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9197905

 

Neuraesthenia revisited: ICD-10 and DSM-III-R psychiatric syndromes in chronic fatigue patients and comparison subjects

Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Different definitions of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) have different psychiatric exclusion criteria and this affects the type and frequency of associated psychiatric morbidity found. The operational criteria for neuraesthenia in ICD-10 vary in this and other respects from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) criteria for CFS. Neuraesthenia and associated psychiatric morbidity in CDC-defined CFS are evaluated.

METHOD: CFS subjects and controls were interviewed with the Schedule for the Clinical Assessment of Neuropsychiatry (SCAN). The computerised scoring program for SCAN (CATEGO5) facilitates the assignment of operational definitions according to DSM-III-R and ICD-10. Subjects were re-interviewed with SCAN an average of 11 months later. No specific treatments or interventions were given during this period.

RESULTS: The majority of subjects fulfilled ICD-10 operational criteria for neuraesthenia and had two and a half times the rate of psychiatric morbidity as the healthy comparison group according to the CATEGO5 Index of Definition (ID). Approximately 80% of subjects fulfilled both DSM-III-R and ICD-10 criteria for sleep disorders. There was a significant fall in the number of subjects fulfilling criteria for depression and anxiety disorders and a significant increase in the number of subjects with no diagnosis for DSM-III-R criteria over time. There were no significant changes over time for any diagnosis according to ICD-10 criteria or for overall levels of psychopathology as reflected in CATEGO5 ID levels.

CONCLUSIONS: The ICD-10 ‘neuraesthenia’ definition identifies almost all subjects with CDC-defined CFS. Fifty percent of CFS subjects also had depressive or anxiety disorders, some categories of which remit spontaneously over time.

 

Source: Farmer A, Jones I, Hillier J, Llewelyn M, Borysiewicz L, Smith A. Neuraesthenia revisited: ICD-10 and DSM-III-R psychiatric syndromes in chronic fatigue patients and comparison subjects. Br J Psychiatry. 1995 Oct;167(4):503-6. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8829720

 

Neuropsychological impairments in chronic fatigue syndrome, multiple sclerosis, and depression

Abstract:

To examine the degree and nature of cognitive impairments in chronic fatigue syndrome, a comprehensive neuropsychological battery was given to patients with chronic fatigue syndrome, multiple sclerosis, depressed patients, and healthy controls. The battery included tests of attention and concentration, information processing speed, verbal and visual memory, intellectual ability, and concept formation. Measures of depression and anxiety were also obtained.

The chronic fatigue syndrome group did not differ from the depressed group in overall neuropsychological performance, but differed from the multiple sclerosis and control groups. The most significant impairment was in information processing speed in the chronic fatigue syndrome group. Depression and anxiety were not related to neuropsychological performance. The influence of reduced information processing on other areas of cognition is discussed.

 

Source: DeLuca J, Johnson SK, Beldowicz D, Natelson BH. Neuropsychological impairments in chronic fatigue syndrome, multiple sclerosis, and depression. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1995 Jan;58(1):38-43. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1073266/ (Full article)

 

Breathing retraining: effect on anxiety and depression scores in behavioural breathlessness

Abstract:

Thirty-six patients underwent assessment of behavioural breathlessness which included monitoring of breathing patterns and end tidal CO2 concentration and completion of questionnaires relating to hyperventilation (HV), anxiety and depression. Twenty-two patients had a positive assessment and underwent breathing retraining. Assessments were repeated immediately after re-training and 2 months later. Ten of the patients (Group A) had behavioural breathlessness either as the primary problem or secondary to an established clinical condition, and twelve (Group B) in association with chronic fatigue.

Before re-training, resting end-tidal PCO2 was significantly lower in Group A than Group B (p < 0.05), but there was no significant difference in mean scores for HV-related symptoms, anxiety or depression. Following breathing retraining, both groups showed improvements in breathing patterns, end tidal CO2 levels and scores for HV-related symptoms which were sustained. In Group A the mean score for anxiety decreased (p < 0.01) and the score for depression was significantly lower than in Group B (p < 0.05). Although mean scores for anxiety and depression in Group B did not change significantly, some individuals in the group did show sustained improvement.

There was no improvement in symptoms associated with chronic fatigue in Group B. In behavioural breathlessness, breathing retraining is of benefit, not only in restoring more normal patterns of breathing but also in reducing anxiety, particularly in patients without the complication of chronic fatigue.

 

Source: Tweeddale PM, Rowbottom I, McHardy GJ. Breathing retraining: effect on anxiety and depression scores in behavioural breathlessness. J Psychosom Res. 1994 Jan;38(1):11-21. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8126685

 

The chronic fatigue syndrome

Abstract:

The chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) including myalgic encephalomyelitis and the postviral syndrome is a term used today to describe a not fully recognized disease characterized primarily by chronic or recurrent debilitating fatigue and various combinations of neuromuscular and neuropsychological symptoms. The term CFS has been introduced and defined by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta. Fatigue is one of the most common symptoms in medicine, but CFS as defined by CDC has appeared to be quite rare in the general population. Researchers have suggested that the syndrome is a heterogenous immunologic disorder that follows viral infection, but despite numerous studies on the subject the etiologic factor of the syndrome is unknown. CFS is a controversial diagnosis. In a very high percentage of patients with the CFS depression, phobias or anxiety disorders have frequently preceded the onset of the chronic fatigue. There are many overlapping symptoms between CFS and major depression. Some clinicians suggest that it is not obvious that CFS can be distinguished from neurasthenia.

 

Source: Białyszewski A. [The chronic fatigue syndrome]. Psychiatr Pol. 1993 Nov-Dec;27(6):601-11 [Article in Polish] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8134494

 

Behavioural problems associated with the chronic fatigue syndrome

Abstract:

Disturbances of memory, concentration and motor function are often reported by patients with the chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). The present study objectively evaluated these behavioural problems using a computerized test battery measuring memory, attention and motor skills.

Fifty-seven CFS patients were compared with 19 matched controls and all subjects completed the performance test battery and filled in questionnaires measuring psychopathology and mood. The patients reported significantly higher levels of depression, anxiety, physical symptoms and cognitive failures than the controls. Similarly, they reported more negative affect at the time of testing.

The patients were slower on psychomotor tasks, showed increased visual sensitivity and impaired attention. Digit span and free recall were not impaired but retrieval from semantic memory and logical reasoning were slower. None of the performance differences between patients and controls could be attributed to differences in psychopathology. These results agree with recent findings from other laboratories, and it is now time to consider the nature of the neurological dysfunction underlying these effects.

 

Source: Smith AP, Behan PO, Bell W, Millar K, Bakheit M. Behavioural problems associated with the chronic fatigue syndrome. Br J Psychol. 1993 Aug;84 ( Pt 3):411-23. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8401992

 

Ways of coping with chronic fatigue syndrome: development of an illness management questionnaire

Abstract:

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a disorder of uncertain aetiology, and there is uncertainty also about the appropriate way in which patients should manage the illness. An illness management questionnaire (IMQ) was designed to assess coping in CFS. This was completed by 207 patients, in parallel with the COPE scales (a general measure of coping that can be applied situationally), and measures of functional impairment, anxiety and depression.

The IMQ yielded four factors: maintaining activity, accommodating to the illness, focusing on symptoms and information-seeking. Scales based upon these factors together predicted 26, 27 and 22% of the variance in functional impairment, anxiety and depression, respectively, and each scale had significant relationships with relevant scales of the COPE, supporting the interpretation of the factors. It is suggested that the IMQ may be employed to relate ways of coping to outcomes in CFS, and to assess coping as a mediator of change in cognitive-behavioural interventions.

 

Source: Ray C, Weir W, Stewart D, Miller P, Hyde G. Ways of coping with chronic fatigue syndrome: development of an illness management questionnaire. Soc Sci Med. 1993 Aug;37(3):385-91. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8356486

 

Abnormalities of sleep in patients with the chronic fatigue syndrome

Abstract:

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether patients with the chronic fatigue syndrome have abnormalities of sleep which may contribute to daytime fatigue.

DESIGN: A case-control study of the sleep of patients with the chronic fatigue syndrome and that of healthy volunteers.

SETTING: An infectious disease outpatient clinic and subjects’ homes.

SUBJECTS: 12 patients who met research criteria for the chronic fatigue syndrome but not for major depressive disorder and 12 healthy controls matched for age, sex, and weight.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Subjective reports of sleep from patients’ diaries and measurement of sleep patterns by polysomnography. Subjects’ anxiety, depression, and functional impairment were assessed by interview.

RESULTS: Patients with the chronic fatigue syndrome spent more time in bed than controls (544 min v 465 min, p < 0.001) but slept less efficiently (90% v 96%, p < 0.05) and spent more time awake after initially going to sleep (31.9 min v 16.6 min, p < 0.05). Seven patients with the chronic fatigue syndrome had a sleep disorder (four had difficulty maintaining sleep, one had difficulty getting to sleep, one had difficulty in both initiating and maintaining sleep, and one had hypersomnia) compared with none of the controls (p = 0.003). Those with sleep disorders showed greater functional impairment than the remaining five patients (score on general health survey 50.4% v 70.4%, p < 0.05), but their psychiatric scores were not significantly different.

CONCLUSIONS: Most patients with the chronic fatigue syndrome had sleep disorders, which are likely to contribute to daytime fatigue. Sleep disorders may be important in the aetiology of the syndrome.

 

Source: Morriss R, Sharpe M, Sharpley AL, Cowen PJ, Hawton K, Morris J. Abnormalities of sleep in patients with the chronic fatigue syndrome. BMJ. 1993 May 1;306(6886):1161-4. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1677618/ (Full article)

 

Non-pharmacological approaches to treatment

Abstract:

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) as currently defined overlaps with other syndromes including chronic pain, fibromyalgia, anxiety and depression. It also resembles historical descriptions of neurasthenia. The role of psychological (cognitive) and behavioural therapies in CFS is examined.

There are both pragmatic and theoretical arguments for their application to CFS. It is pragmatic to target obvious and treatable factors including inactivity and depression. A theoretical model in which psychological, physiological and social factors interact offers a plausible rationale for such treatment but is not yet empirically proven. While there is evidence for the efficacy of this type of therapy in related syndromes, the evidence in CFS is inconclusive.

A randomized controlled trial of combined cognitive and behavioural therapy currently in progress is described. Initial results suggest that most patients receiving cognitive behaviour therapy improve, especially in terms of functional impairment. It remains to be seen whether this therapy will prove to be more effective than standard general practitioner care. In the meantime cognitive behaviour therapy offers a pragmatic and rational therapy for patients with CFS.

 

Source: Sharpe M. Non-pharmacological approaches to treatment. Ciba Found Symp. 1993;173:298-308; discussion 308-17. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8491104

 

Chronic fatigue and chronic fatigue syndrome: clinical epidemiology and aetiological classification

Abstract:

To determine the medical and psychiatric diagnoses that have an aetiological role in chronic fatigue we conducted a prospective study of 405 (65% women) patients who presented for evaluation with this chief complaint to an academic medical centre.

The average age was 38.1 years and the average duration of fatigue at entry in the study was 6.9 years. All patients were given comprehensive physical and laboratory evaluations and were administered a highly structured psychiatric interview. Psychiatric diagnoses explaining the chronic fatigue were identified in 74% of patients and physical disorders were diagnosed in 7% of patients.

The most common psychiatric conditions in this series were major depression, diagnosed in 58% of patients, panic disorder, diagnosed in 14% of patients, and somatization disorder, diagnosed in 10% of patients. Primary sleep disorders, diagnosed in 2% patients, and chronic infections, confirmed in 1.6% patients, explained the majority of cases whose chronic fatigue was attributed to a physical disorder.

Thirty per cent of patients met the criteria used to define the chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Compared with age- and gender-matched control subjects with chronic fatigue, CFS patients had a similarly high prevalence of current psychiatric disorders (78% versus 82%), but were significantly more likely to have somatization disorder (28% versus 5%) and to attribute their illness to a viral infection (70% versus 33%).

We conclude that most patients with a chief complaint of chronic fatigue, including those exhibiting the features of CFS, suffer from standard mood, anxiety and/or somatoform disorders. Careful research is still needed to determine whether CFS is a distinct entity or a variant of these psychiatric illness.

 

Source: Manu P, Lane TJ, Matthews DA. Chronic fatigue and chronic fatigue syndrome: clinical epidemiology and aetiological classification. Ciba Found Symp. 1993;173:23-31; discussion 31-42. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8491100