The ME/CFS Society of NSW Inc.

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) can sometimes lead to an identity crisis so
severe it is akin to dying. That's one message derived from comments made by
fourteen people with the condition who were interviewed in-depth by health
psychologists in Scotland.

CFS, also known as ME (myalgic encephalomyelitis), is a poorly understood
condition characterised by long-term tiredness that persists even after
sleep and rest. The organic cause is unknown.

Using a qualitative technique called interpretative phenomenological
analysis, Adele Dickson and colleagues identified three themes in the
accounts of what it is like to live with CFS: "Identity crisis: agency and
embodiment"; "Scepticism and the self"; and "Acceptance, adjustment and
coping."

The people with CFS said that the condition has stripped them of their
identities and left them feeling detached from their minds and bodies. "The
frequent use of the language of bereavement is suggestive of processes of
mourning and even perhaps the death of anticipated self," the researchers
said.

The lack of a medical explanation for CFS means the condition is often met
with scepticism. The people with CFS said social interactions, rather than
being supportive, often became a source of anxiety because of people's
scepticism and the pressure to behave as if one did not have CFS. The
interviewees said they even began to doubt themselves. One woman said she
had asked herself: "Who am I and am I turning into a malingerer?"

Fortunately, most of the people with CFS had started to accept the reality
of their new lives and small, achievable tasks were said to boost morale.

Adele Dickson and her co-workers concluded that there was an urgent need for
health psychology to respond to the increasing prevalence of chronic health
conditions such as CFS in Western Society. Health psychology needs to truly
embrace a biopsychosocial model of illness, they said, and to conduct
longitudinal qualitative research "to fully understand the processes
underlying adaptation to illness."

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Dickson, A., Knussen, C., Flowers, P. (2008). 'That was my old life; it's
almost like a past-life now': Identity crisis, loss and adjustment amongst
people living with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Psychology & Health, 23(4),
459-476. DOI: 10.1080/08870440701757393

http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content?content=10.1080/088704407017573...