I was surprised when I read this study to find that it concurs with my own experience. I expected to find a biased attack and psych labelling, reversion to psych cause and categorization. But, after many years of ME/CFS plus aging challenges piling on, I do seem to function more in a rut of petty physical management in order to cope. I like to be functional and competent, but with this illness, I have to do a lot of managing even to function at the low end, much less to convey the appearance of functionality during brief appearances, so to speak, with more normal people. It is not my personality to be a petty manager (OCD behavior), but, functions that were once automatic, or are still automatic for healthy people my age, have broken down into many small steps which I have to do consciously, intentionally. As a result of this focus on a lot of petty management and all the limitations and physical issues, I do feel a tendency towards a depressed outlook. I drop this many times a day too, to focus on my other tendencies--towards interest, joy and humor. I feel that many other people have a hard time too in life, and that we are all in this together. Lightening the burden by sharing humor, encouragement and fun, when possible, gives to me as well as to others. Also being willing to take what responsibility I can to help where help is needed--this also gives back as I am doing the giving.
So, yeah, I know this stuff. But honestly I think that a psych test would show overall what this one did--that I am not "crazy" (Axis II), but veer somewhat towards OCD behavior and depressive features than the healthy do. I do think that if their study design compared us to other ill people, such as those with MS or Parkinsons, responses such as depressive and OCD features would fall into a natural context of both struggle and coping behavior.