Chronic Fatigue and Its Syndromes

by Simon Wessely, Michael Sharpe

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome has been the subject of intense media debate over recent years. Such interest has been partially due to the scarcity of professional and scientific explorations of the topic - what is it, and what causes it? One school of thought argues that there is no medical basis to chronic fatigue and hence any such investigation is fruitless. An alternative view is that we should look at CFS purely as a physical problem, and that to attempt any psychological perspective is to trivialize the illness in the eyes of the sufferers. Chronic fatigue and its syndromes presents a comprehensive review of the problem of chronic fatigue, mixing medical, psychological, social, and historical perspectives. The book examines the historical origins of CFS, considering the epidemiology, and the various aetiological theories for the condition - viral, immunological, psychological, psychiatric, and neurological. The book concludes with a clinical section discussing the assessment and
treatment of CFS. Throughout, the authors argue that chronic fatigue and its various syndromes cannot easily be pigeon holed into physical or psychological categories, and that the ambiguous nature of the illness actually provides us with a valuable chance to explore contemporary attitudes to sickness and health, one not offered by better defined or classified disorders.

456 pages, Paperback

First published January 15, 1998

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Comprehensive, but misleading

[Mick Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fascinating book is intended for a clinical audience, but is easily accessible by the layman who has a little scientific knowledge. It is a comprehensive view of the history of chronic fatigue syndromes (from the nineteenth century onwards), the current theories of causes, the management and rehabilitation of patients and much more!
The book dates from 1999, but a quick reading of the internet shows that little has changed since the book was written.
I read it after listening to the BBC Radio 4 programme ‘The Life Scientific’ which contained an interview with one of the authors, Simon Wessely. A quote from the programme…
‘Threats and abuse finally led to him leave this particular research field, and he moved instead to military health and another complex illness which appeared after the first Gulf War in the early 90s, Gulf War Syndrome. ‘
It seems that this is one of the areas in which anyone attempting a scientific approach to a subject which affects people’s lives will inevitably find themselves viewed in the same light as politicians and political commentators (cf Climate Change, Vaccinations etc). That in itself makes the subject interesting.
The book is a good one and the subject engaging.
My conclusion? Western civilisation made a mistake when we accepted Descartes description of the mind / body split. A person is a person. They may suffer from many things. Labelling one form of suffering as mental and another as physical is a waste of time and energy.