Just finished a psych assignment where the patient had CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome) and after looking through the diagnosis/prognosis/treatment... holy fuck i feel sorry for these people.
Note this is a copy/paste from wikipedia since i don't have any actual diagnosis textbooks (ICD9/DSM4) with me right now.....
Quote:
Symptoms
The most commonly used diagnostic criteria and definition of CFS for research and clinical purposes were published by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).[6] The CDC definition of CFS requires the following two criteria be fulfilled:[2]
1. A new onset (not lifelong) of unexplained, persistent fatigue unrelated to exertion and not substantially relieved by rest, that causes a significant reduction in previous activity levels.
2. Four or more of the following symptoms that last six months or longer:
* Impaired memory or concentration
* Post-exertional malaise, where physical or mental exertions bring on "extreme, prolonged exhaustion and sickness"
* Unrefreshing sleep
* Muscle pain (myalgia)
* Pain in multiple joints (arthralgia)
* Headaches of a new kind or greater severity
* Sore throat, frequent or recurring
* Tender lymph nodes (cervical or axillary)
Other common symptoms include:
* irritable bowel, abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea or bloating
* chills and night sweats
* brain fog
* chest pain
* shortness of breath
* chronic cough
* visual disturbances (blurring, sensitivity to light, eye pain or dry eyes)
* allergies or sensitivities to foods, alcohol, odors, chemicals, medications or noise
* difficulty maintaining upright position (orthostatic instability, irregular heartbeat, dizziness, balance problems or fainting)
* psychological problems (depression, irritability, mood swings, anxiety, panic attacks)
* jaw pain
* weight loss or gain.[35]
The CDC specifically refers to several illnesses with symptoms resembling those of CFS: "mononucleosis, Lyme disease, lupus, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, primary sleep disorders, severe obesity and major depressive disorders. Medications can also cause side effects that mimic the symptoms of CFS."[2]
And this was in part of the treatment section
Quote:
Many patients do not fully recover from CFS even with treatment, and there is no universally effective curative option.[55] Diets, physiotherapy, dietary supplements, antidepressants, pain killers, pacing, and complementary and alternative medicine have been suggested as ways of managing CFS. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and graded exercise therapy (GET) have shown moderate effectiveness for many patients in multiple randomized controlled trials.[28][56][57][58] As many of the CBT and GET studies required patients to visit a clinic, severely affected patients may have been excluded.[56] Patient surveys have indicated that pacing is reported to be the most helpful intervention.[59][60]
Holy fuck... You could never get cured from this shit... You'd basically have half a day for the rest of your life because you get too tired and fall asleep at like 4-5 pm