CDC:Coping Styles in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Findings from a Population-Based Study

[Dolphin]

Another study to use it. I don't have the full text:

Psychosocial risk factors for chronic fatigue and chronic fatigue syndrome following presumed viral illness: a case-control study.

Psychol Med. 1996 Nov;26(6):1197-209.
Cope H, Mann A, Pelosi A, David A.
Source

Department of Psychological Medicine, King's College Hospital, London.
Abstract

This study investigated psychosocial morbidity, coping styles and health locus of control in 64 cases with and without chronic fatigue identified from a cohort of primary care patients recruited 6 months previously with a presumed, clinically diagnosed viral illness. A significant association betweenchronic fatigue and psychosocial morbidity, somatic symptoms and escape-avoidance coping styles was shown. Chronic fatigue cases were significantly more likely to have a past psychiatric history and a current psychiatric diagnosis based on a standardized clinical interview. Twenty-three of the cases fulfilled criteria for chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Such cases were significantly more fatigued than those not fulfilling criteria, but had little excess psychiatric disorder. A principal components analysis provided some evidence for chronic fatigue being separable from generalpsychosocial morbidity but not from the tendency to have other somatic complaints. Past psychiatric history and psychological distress at the time of the viral illness were risk factors for psychiatric 'caseness' 6 months later, while presence of fatigue, psychologising attributional style and sick certification were significant risk factors for CFS. These findings extend a previous questionnaire study of predictors of chronic 'post-viral' fatigue.
PMID:

8931166

[PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

 

[MishMash]

This is load of crap is why you must write your own "Anarchist's Guide to the Universe" when it comes to finding relief for your CFS symptoms.

a) Get as many empirical data as possible proving your at least "abnormal". Hold that out like your shield. Insist that the data line up directly with your illness.
b) Describe your illness as being "chronic" ("I was surfing in Mexico, then I got sick, and I have never felt the same.") Even if you weren't an active person pre-CFS, make up an active bio. You climbed mountains, raised twelve kids, raced moto-cross, and ran three small businesses, all in your spare time.
c) If given any sort of "personality assessment" psychiatric testing, just lie and say life doesn't overwhelm you, you never feel frustration, you never get upset at anyone.
d) Don't get visibly frustrated, upset, angry with any medical professionals--ever. Just change doctors.

The psychiatric field is mostly whackos and nutcases themselves. Even they agree on that. They will project odd complexes, internal conflicts, etc on to you. Beware when in contact with this field.

 

[Esther12]

This is the earlier CDC study. Full text at: http://cfids-cab.org/cfs-inform/Cfsliving/nater.etal06.pdf.
Figures are in Table 1.

Thanks D. So they'd already done a study which found similar results for their ill control group. I'll add that to my list of things to be irritated about.

 

[taniaaust1]

b) Describe your illness as being "chronic" ("I was surfing in Mexico, then I got sick, and I have never felt the same.") Even if you weren't an active person pre-CFS, make up an active bio. You climbed mountains, raised twelve kids, raced moto-cross, and ran three small businesses, all in your spare time.
c) If given any sort of "personality assessment" psychiatric testing, just lie and say life doesn't overwhelm you, you never feel frustration, you never get upset at anyone.

Those kind of lies could end up making doctors think you have making up all the ME/CFS symptoms too and lead to someone getting then falsely given another wrong diagnosis... which then could lead to all kind of issues eg someone on disability payments for CFS then could end up being done for fraud.

If u feel like there is a need to lie and misrepresent yourself to a doctor.. its best to just find a different doctor... one u feel comfortable with instead.

 

[Valentijn]

Those kind of lies could end up making doctors think you have making up all the ME/CFS symptoms too and lead to someone getting then falsely given another wrong diagnosis... which then could lead to all kind of issues eg someone on disability payments for CFS then could end up being done for fraud.

Yeah, my physiotherapist was shocked enough to hear that I'd been walking around Brugge for hours at a time during a vacation shortly before I got sick, and walking a mile or so 4 days per week getting to classes. I don't think I even mentioned doing martial arts in college.

 

[peggy-sue]

I find myself wondering where in "Avoidance or Escaping" I should put the business of my OH putting in a downstairs loo so I don't have to climb the stairs every time I need a pee.
There's definitely avoidance and escaping, not to mention a great deal of common sense, involved there.

 

[MishMash]

Those kind of lies could end up making doctors think you have making up all the ME/CFS symptoms too and lead to someone getting then falsely given another wrong diagnosis... which then could lead to all kind of issues eg someone on disability payments for CFS then could end up being done for fraud.

If u feel like there is a need to lie and misrepresent yourself to a doctor.. its best to just find a different doctor... one u feel comfortable with instead.

I was talking about psychiatrists, Tania. Their "truths" about you will be lies, probably.

 

[MishMash]

Yeah, my physiotherapist was shocked enough to hear that I'd been walking around Brugge for hours at a time during a vacation shortly before I got sick, and walking a mile or so 4 days per week getting to classes. I don't think I even mentioned doing martial arts in college.

Tell him the whole truth. He will know how to fix you.

 

[taniaaust1]

I was talking about psychiatrists, Tania. Their "truths" about you will be lies, probably.

Well i got to agree with that one.

Thou the worst so called info about me has come from other specialist fields.. commenting on my life aspects they know very little about eg she watches too much TV and would recover if she didnt watch this so much. We've seen many CFS people recover by cutting back their TV watching (something like that was said in my Nutritionists report). Irronically I hardly watch TV. I watch about 1 DVD per day. Its actually been 3 days since I last watched one.

haha glad she didnt know about my computer habits as it would of been far more logic to target that instead if someone wanted to imply I have ME due to being on my butt too much.

Actually other then a BPD diagnoses, ive had less crap coming from psychs.

 

[taniaaust1]

Yeah, my physiotherapist was shocked enough to hear that I'd been walking around Brugge for hours at a time during a vacation shortly before I got sick, and walking a mile or so 4 days per week getting to classes. I don't think I even mentioned doing martial arts in college.

Im fortunately cant have them using the amount of exercise I used to do as a reason for why I developed ME/CFS. I was extremely active before I got this illness (its usually the most active ones in my family which get this). I was doing weekly class in Tai Chi, another weekly class in Yoga.. had a horse I used to ride. I think I may of also was playing badmington once a week or if not that playing netball at the time as well. (on top of being a full time single parent of 2 young kids and studying full time).

It really makes me angry when people imply we were lazy. My cousin was training at the WA Institute of Sport when she got sick (hoping to one day make the Olympics).

 

[WillowJ]

from Scale 6: Escape-Avoidance

33. Tried to make myself feel better by eating, drinking, smoking, using drugs or medication, etc.
40. Avoided being with people in general.
16. Slept more than usual.

I think this might have partially been mentioned before, but eating something, drinking (not alcohol but usual beverages), getting to a quiet place, and sleeping do actually help us recover from symptom exacerbations.

Also there is a place for medications, and I suspect people may have answered this question for legitimate use of OTC and regularly-prescribed medicine, not recreational/street use (duh, we are homebound and penniless, and we have better things to worry about than where to get street drugs). Coding of that all together seems really odd even for a healthy person (are they never supposed to use headache or cold medicine???) unless this was asked specific to emotional disturbance (in which case they still might need headache medicine for tension headache).

Hot tea or coffee is a classic coping mechanism, and depending on what you put in it relative to your own needs, and depending on your own tolerance to caffeine, can be harmless (or use, say, peppermint and then it's most likely harmless).