Psychiatric Aspects of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia

Abstract

Chronic fatigue syndrome and/or fibromyalgia (CFS/FM) consists of highly overlapping, medically unexplained symptoms, including long-lasting fatigue, effort intolerance, cognitive dysfunction, and widespread pain and tenderness. CFS/FM often seems to be triggered by infections and physical trauma, but depression, sleep disturbances, and personality may also be involved. Moreover, dysregulation of the stress system, the immune system, and central pain mechanisms may determine the pathophysiology of the illness, leading to a loss of capacity to adapt to all kind of stressors. CFS/FM patients can be best helped by a pragmatic and individualized approach aimed at adjusting lifestyle and optimizing self-care, which in the long run may contribute to a restoration of physical and mental adaptability. Future psychiatric research into CFS/FM should focus on the complex interrelationships among pain/fatigue, stress/depression, and personality, as well as on processes of therapeutic change and the advantages of customized treatment.

Neuroinflammation in Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis: An 11C-(R)-PK11195 PET Study

“…This finding supports a previous report that depressive symptoms are present in CFS/ME (32). Interestingly, we observed a relation between the severity of depressive symptoms and the level of inflammation in the hippocampus in CFS/ME patients.…”

Convergent Genomic Studies Identify Association of GRIK2 and NPAS2 with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

“…The association of these two genes with some of the hallmark symptoms of CFS, which overlaps with psychiatric illness, including mood and anxiety disorders [31] , suggests that while these conditions can be clinically distinct, they may share neurobiological underpinnings. In support of this, we observed associations between CFS and genetic polymorphisms in 2 glutamate receptors, GRIK2 and GRIN2B .…”

The association between idiopathic environmental intolerance and psychological distress, and the influence of social support and recent major life events

“…In general, this association is also well established in related disorders, such as fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome [19][20][21], but as in IEI, the mechanisms underlying this commonly reported interrelationship has not been clarified. Higher rates of lifetime psychiatric disorders have also been reported [22].…”