You may have noticed that Chronic Fatigue Syndrome \/M.E. \/Post Viral Fatigue Syndrome is a very misunderstood illness…<\/p>\n
\nby: Claire Williams
\n…and this is perhaps why there are so many myths about it.
\nPerhaps the most common myth about Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is that it is effectively a mental condition, and another name for depression.
\nBut these two conditions are very different!
\nAnd when you label a condition incorrectly it can cause no end of problems when trying to diagnose and treat it. So it’s extremely important to make the distinction between Chronic Fatigue Syndrome \/M.E. \/Post Viral Fatigue Syndrome and depression – because they are completely different illnesses.
\nDepression can be a **symptom** of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, but there are many Chronic Fatigue Syndrome sufferers out there who do **not** suffer from depression at all.
\nI, for example, used to suffer from depression when I was first diagnosed with Post Viral Fatigue Syndrome (CFS\/M.E.), but now I (thankfully) don’t have depression anymore.
\n——–SIDE NOTE——–
\nMy recovery from depression (whilst I had PVFS) was down to having psychotherapy. And I can safely say that it’s THE BEST thing I’ve ever done.
\nIf you’re depressed, then I urgently recommend that you try a talking therapy of some sort.
\nI’d personally describe the whole process of going through psychotherapy as “reading a fascinating book” – where the topic is on ‘yourself’.
\nTo find out what it’s like to go through psychotherapy \/counselling, visit:
\nhttp:\/\/www.sleepydust.net\/psychotherapy
\nIf you’re housebound, or just want to conserve your energy and don’t want to travel to see a therapist, then why not try online counselling?
\nThere are services out there that can give you counselling sessions via telephone, via email, or via ‘Instant Messaging’ (real-time chat sessions on your computer, where you type instead of talk).
\n——–SIDE NOTE——–
\nThere are other differences between Chronic Fatigue Syndrome \/Fibromyalgia and depression…
\nResearch has shown that Chronic Fatigue Syndrome sufferers have an abnormality in their ‘deep sleep’ brainwave patterns. But, depression sufferers do not have this abnormality!
\nAnd in a recent study by scientists at the University of Alberta, it was found that there were significant differences in skin temperature and electrical activity in the skin, which sets Chronic Fatigue Syndrome sufferers apart from depression sufferers (Pazderka-Robinson, H. Int. Jrnl. Of Psychophysiology Aug 2004).
\nWhat’s more, depression sufferers tend to feel tired **all** the time, whereas Chronic Fatigue Syndrome sufferers’ exhaustion **increases** notably after mental or physical exertion.
\nThere are also symptoms of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome that are not shared by depression sufferers. Nasty flu-like symptoms, headaches, painful muscles and joints, Restless Legs Syndrome, and an increase in colds and viruses, are all just a few symptoms that can play a part in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
\nThere you go – just a few of the differences between Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and depression! So the next time someone mistakes your Chronic Fatigue Syndrome\/ M.E. \/Post Viral Fatigue Syndrome \/Fibromyalgia for depression – you can set them right!
\nCopyright, Claire Williams, 2004. All Rights Reserved.
\n** Reprinting of the article above is welcome! **
\nThe article above may be freely reproduced provided that:
\n(1) you include the following resource box; and (2) you only mail to a 100% opt-in list.
\nHere’s the resource box to use if reprinting the article above:
\nClaire Williams is editor of sleepydust.net and has suffered from Post Viral Fatigue Syndrome\/ Chronic Fatigue Syndrome since 1995.
\nShe created ‘sleepydust.net’ to help Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia sufferers to deal with the condition – from handling their money worries, to recovering from their illness….
\nhttp:\/\/www.sleepydust.net
\nTo subscribe to the newsletter in which this article was published, please go to:
\nhttp:\/\/www.sleepydust.net\/ezine<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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