Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-jkksz Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T01:02:47.589Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

A comparative psychiatric assessment of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome and muscle disease

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

G. C. Wood
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, Royal Liverpool Hospital; Sub-Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychiatry and the Muscle Research Centre, University of Liverpool
R. P. Bentall
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, Royal Liverpool Hospital; Sub-Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychiatry and the Muscle Research Centre, University of Liverpool
M. Göpfert
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, Royal Liverpool Hospital; Sub-Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychiatry and the Muscle Research Centre, University of Liverpool
R. H. T. Edwards*
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, Royal Liverpool Hospital; Sub-Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychiatry and the Muscle Research Centre, University of Liverpool
*
1 Address for correspondence: Professor R. H. T. Edwards, Muscle Research Centre, University of Liverpool, PO Box 147, Liverpool, L69 3BX.

Synopsis

The psychiatric status of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (N = 34) and muscle disease (N = 24) attending a general medical clinic was studied. Among fatigue patients 14 (41·2%) were cases and a further 9 (26·5%) were subcases of psychiatric disorder as defined by CATEGO. A variety of diagnoses was found. Significantly fewer of the muscle patients had a psychiatric disorder with 3 (12·5%) being cases and 1 (4%) a subcase. The relative risk of psychiatric disorder in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome compared to patients with muscle disease was 3·3:1.

Type
Original Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1991

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

American Psychiatric Association (1987). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 3rd edn. Revised. APA: Washington DC.Google Scholar
Archard, L., Bowles, N., Behan, P., Bell, E. & Doyle, D. (1988). Postviral fatigue syndrome: persistence of enterovirus RNA in muscle and elevated creatine kinase. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine 81, 326329.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Behan, P. O. & Behan, W. (1989). The postviral fatigue syndrome. Critical Reviews in Neurobiology 42, 157178.Google Scholar
Behan, P. O., Behan, W. M. & Bell, E. J. (1985). The post viral fatigue syndrome – an analysis of the findings in 50 cases. Journal of Infection 10, 211222.Google Scholar
Carroll, N., Gibson, H., Coakley, J. H. & Edwards, R. H. T. (1990). Cycle ergometry in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome. European Journal of Clinical Investigation 20, A29 (Abstract).Google Scholar
David, A. S., Wessely, S. & Pelosi, A. J. (1988). Postviral fatigue syndrome; time for a new approach. British Medical Journal 296, 696699.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dawson, J. (1990). Consensus on research into fatigue syndrome. British Medical Journal 300, 832.Google Scholar
Dean, C., Surtees, P. G. & Sashidharan, S. P. (1983). Comparison of research diagnostic systems in an Edinburgh community sample. British Journal of Psychiatry 142, 247256.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dietrichson, P., Coakley, J., Smith, P. E. M., Griffiths, R. D., Helliwell, T. R. & Edwards, R. H. T. (1987). Conchotome and needle percutaneous biopsy of skeletal muscle. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry 50, 14611467.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Edwards, R. H. T. (1981). Human muscle function and fatigue. Human Muscle Fatigue: Physiological Mechanisms (ed. Porter, R. and Whelan, J.), pp. 118. (Ciba Foundation Symposium No 82) Pitman Medical: London.Google Scholar
Edwards, R. H. T. (1986). Muscle fatigue and pain. Acta Medica Scandinavica Suppl. 711, 179188.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Edwards, R. H. T., Round, J. M. & Jones, D. A. (1983). Needle biopsy of skeletal muscle: a review of ten years experience. Muscle and Nerve 6, 676683.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Endicott, J. & Spitzer, R. L. (1978). A diagnostic interview; the schedule for affective disorders and schizophrenia. Archives of General Psychiatry 35, 837844.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Foulds, G. A. (1976). The Hierarchical Nature of Personal Illness. Academic Press: London.Google Scholar
Gibson, H., Carroll, N., Coakley, J. H. & Edwards, R. H. T. (1990). Recovery from maximal exercise in chronic fatigue states. European Journal of Clinical Investigation 20, A29 (Abstract).Google Scholar
Hickie, I., Lloyd, A., Wakefield, D. & Parker, G. (1990). The psychiatric status of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome. British Journal of Psychiatry 156, 534540.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Howell, J. B. L. (1990). Behavioural breathlessness. Thorax 45, 287292.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jamal, G. A. & Hansen, S. (1985). Electrophysiological studies in the post viral fatigue syndrome. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry 48, 691694.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kruesi, M. J. P., Dale, J. & Straus, S. E. (1989). Psychiatric diagnoses in patients who have chronic fatigue syndrome. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry 50, 5356.Google ScholarPubMed
Lishman, W. A. (1988). Physiogenesis and psychogenesis in the post-concussional syndrome. British Journal of Psychiatry 153, 460469.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lloyd, A., Hales, J. & Gandevia, S. (1988). Muscle strength, endurance and recovery in the post-infection fatigue syndrome. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry 51, 13161322.Google Scholar
Manu, P., Matthews, D. & Lane, T. (1988). The mental health of patients with a chief complaint of chronic fatigue: a prospective evaluation and follow-up. Archives of Internal Medicine 148, 22132217.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rosen, S., King, J. & Nixon, P. (1988). Brainstorming the postviral fatigue syndrome. British Medical Journal 296, 1543.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Spielberger, C. D., Gorsuch, R. L. & Lushene, R. (1970). State-Trait Anxiety Inventory Manual. Consulting Psychologists Press: Palo Alto, California.Google Scholar
Spitzer, R. L., Endicott, J. & Robins, E. (1978). Research Diagnostic Criteria: rationale and reliability. Archives of General Psychiatry 35, 773782.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stokes, M. J., Cooper, R. G. & Edwards, R. H. T. (1988). Normal muscle strength and fatigability in patients with effort syndrome. British Medical Journal 297, 10141017.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Taerk, G. S., Toner, B. B., Salit, I. E., Garfinkel, P. E. & Ozersky, S. (1987). Depression in patients with neuromyasthenia (benign myalgic encephalomyelitis). International Journal of Psychiatry and Medicine 17, 4956.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wessely, S. & Powell, R. (1989). Fatigue syndromes: a comparison of chronic ‘postviral’ fatigue with neuromuscular and affective disorders. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry 52, 940948.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wessely, S., David, A., Butler, S. & Chalder, T. (1989). The management of chronic (post-viral) fatigue syndrome. Journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners 39, 2629.Google Scholar
Wing, J. K., Cooper, J. E. & Sartorius, N. (1974). The Measurement and Classification of Psychiatric Symptoms. Cambridge University Press: London.Google Scholar
Wing, J. K., Mann, S. A., Leff, J. P. & Nixon, J. M. (1978). The concept of a ‘case’ in psychiatric population surveys. Psychological Medicine 8, 204217.Google Scholar
Zigmond, A. S. & Snaith, R. P. (1983). The hospital anxiety and depression scale. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica 67, 361370.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed