CFS/ME and mental health diagnoses: A qualitative approach to assessing the experiences of women who have now recovered

Abstract

Despite much research in recent years there still remains much doubt as to what causes CFS, and the role that mental health disorders play in its aetiology and perpetuation. The purpose of this study was to assess the illness experiences of a cohort of women who had recovered from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) or Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) in order to examine the extent to which the diagnoses they were given took a mental health perspective, and whether or not it was accepted that they were suffering a genuine illness. This was a qualitative study using Grounded Theory, with a sample of 14 female participants who had previously had CFS but considered themselves to be substantially or totally recovered from this illness. It was found that the participants experienced substantial problems with regard to diagnosis, with health care professionals often ignoring their physical symptoms. Similarly they encountered problems of acceptance and belief in terms of having a genuine illness. The findings are further discussed in terms of concomitant stigma and bias towards mental health diagnoses for women generally.