Mindfulness training for chronic fatigue syndrome: a pilot study

Abstract

health psychology report • volume 5(3), 7 original article background Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a condition characterized by persistent and unexplained fatigue that may result in severe impairment of daily functioning. Currently, there is no curative treatment for CFS, and many patients experience the existing interventions as ineffective. Thus, there is a need for new approaches that target psychological maintenance factors and coping. Mindfulness is an approach to increasing awareness and acceptance of ongoing mental processes. Mindfulness-based interventions have been shown to reduce stress and enhance quality of life in patients with chronic diseases, to increase the tolerance of unpleasant feelings and bodily dysfunction, as well as to facilitate use of appropriate coping skills. This pilot study examined the effect and acceptability of a mindfulness-based intervention for patients with CFS. participants and procedure Ten patients with CFS (eight women, two men) participated in the study. The mindfulness training had a duration of eight weeks with 2-hour weekly meetings. The effect of the intervention was evaluated using a single case series design with a 3-month follow-up. results All patients completed the intervention. Medium to large effect sizes were found for anxiety, fatigue, rumination, depression, and mindfulness. The participants' feedback indicated increased quality of life and more adaptive coping.

Systematic Review of Mind-Body Interventions to Treat Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

“…After removing duplicates, 270 were screened using title and abstracts, and 47 references were considered relevant for full-text screening. Considering the a priori inclusion criteria and obtaining additional clarifying information from authors of some of the references, twelve studies (17 reports) were ultimately included [ 10 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 ]. The flow of studies through the screening process of the review is shown in Figure 1 .…”

“…One manuscript presented a brief report of three studies in which one was a prospective RCT and the other two were single-arm experimental studies [ 29 ]. Five additional publications were also single-arm experimental studies [ 10 , 38 , 42 , 43 , 44 ].…”

“…Six studies used the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) criteria for the diagnosis of their patients [ 28 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 45 , 51 ]. One study used the 2003 Canadian criteria [ 43 ]. One study used Oxford criteria [ 29 ], one study used both CDC and Oxford criteria [ 30 ] and three studies used a combination of CDC criteria with 2003 or 2005 versions of Canadian criteria and 2011 international consensus criteria [ 10 , 42 , 44 ].…”

“…The healthcare settings included outpatient settings [ 28 , 39 ], community [ 40 , 41 , 43 , 45 ], a university hospital clinic [ 38 ], department of psychosomatic medicine [ 10 , 42 ] and a specialist ME/CFS unit [ 30 , 44 ]. One study did not report the setting from which their patients were recruited [ 29 ].…”

The importance of cognitive flexibility and flexibility in coping with stress for the quality of life in inflammatory bowel disease patients during biological therapy. A preliminary report

“…The positive impact of the mindfulness-based exercises on the IBD patients was highlighted in the past by, for example, Ballou and Keefer [29]. What is more, Sollie et al pointed out that mindfulness-based intervention for a group of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome increased not only their quality of life but also more adaptive coping [30]. Therefore, it seems justifiable to develop an appropriate therapeutic program for CD or UC patients during their biological treatment, in order to enhance their quality of life and hence make their attitude to the treatment more optimistic, which can also enhance its efficiency.…”