A comparison of cognitive behavioral treatment for chronic fatigue syndrome and primary depression.
To evaluate the effect of cognitive behavioral intervention on chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), we studied three patient groups: a CFS-treatment group (n = 22), a primary depression-treatment group (n = 20), and a no-treatment control group of subjects with CFS (n = 22). For the CFS-treatment group, a trend toward reduced depression-symptom scores was noted, but there were no significant changes in stress-related symptoms or fatigue severity. For the most depressed treated subjects with CFS, significant score reductions were observed in measures of depression, stress, fatigue severity, and fatigue-related thinking. In the depression group, significant reductions in depression, stress, and fatigue severity scores were found. No significant changes in any measure were observed in the CFS control group. A new fatigue-related cognitions scale, developed to assess cognitive and emotional reactions to fatigue, showed a significant reduction in such reactions in the CFS-treatment group, a finding suggesting that depression in this group was mediated by maladaptive thinking. The results suggest that a subset of CFS patients with cognition-related depressive symptomatology may respond to short-term behavioral intervention.
Friedberg
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F
Department of Psychiatry, State University of New York at Stony Brook.
Krupp
L B
LB
D000328:Adult; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; D003863:Depression / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D015673:Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000628:therapy