Is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome a Psychological Condition?

Question: Is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome a Psychological Condition?

I know someone with chronic fatigue syndrome, and she really just seems unmotivated and depressed. Is chronic fatigue syndrome a psychological condition?

Answer: No, even though chronic fatigue syndrome and depression do share some symptoms, chronic fatigue syndrome is not a psychological condition. Research shows multiple physiological abnormalities in the nervous systems, immune systems and hormones of people with chronic fatigue syndrome that are not shared by people who are depressed.

Also, it should be noted that depression actually is a physical illness. The overlap in symptoms between depressiona and chronic fatigue syndrome is likely due to common mechanisms involving brain chemistry, including abnormal levels of the neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine.

Many people with chronic fatigue syndrome become depressed, but that's generally believed to be the result of living with a debilitating illness. People with other serious illnesses, such as cancer, also are at a high risk of depression.

Some research suggests that people with a history of depression may be at higher risk of developing chronic fatigue syndrome, but this is highly controversial. Again, this link could be the result of common physiological mechanisms.

Other Chronic Fatigue Syndrome FAQs

• Why Does Chronic Fatigue Syndrome have So Many Names?
• Are Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome the Same?

_Source:

International Journal of Behavioral Medicine. 2006;13(3):244-51. "Differential diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome and major depressive disorder."