2023/04/06 by Tilman Grande, Bettina Grande, Patrick Gerner +4 · 2 voices · 23 citations
Medicine · Psychology · #Chronic fatigue #Chronic fatigue syndrome #Coping (psychology) #Disease #Encephalomyelitis #Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Research #Intensive care medicine #Long-Term Effects of COVID-19 #Malaise #Medicine #Physical therapy #Psychiatry #Psychology #Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments #Psychotherapist #Rehabilitation
paper · pdf · doi:10.3390/medicina59040719
published in Medicina 59(4), 719 (Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute)
openalex publication_date 2023/04/06 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/22
Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue (ME/CFS) is a post-infectious, chronic disease that can lead to severe impairment and, even, total disability. Although the disease has been known for a long time, and has been coded in the ICD since 1969 (G93.3), medical research has not yet been able to reach a consensus regarding its physiological basis and how best to treat it. Against the background of these shortcomings, psychosomatic disease models have been developed and psychotherapeutic treatments have been derived from them, but their empirical testing has led to sobering results. According to the current state of research, psychotherapy and psychosomatic rehabilitation have no curative effect in the treatment of ME/CFS. Nevertheless, we see numerous patients in practices and outpatient clinics who suffer severely as a result of their illness and whose mental well-being and coping strategies would benefit from psychotherapeutic help. In this article, we outline a psychotherapeutic approach that serves this need, taking into account two basic characteristics of ME/CFS: firstly, the fact that ME/CFS is a physical illness and that curative treatment must therefore be physical; and secondly, the fact that post exertional malaise (PEM) is a cardinal symptom of ME/CFS and thus warrants tailored psychotherapeutic attention.