Chronic Fatigue and its Syndromes - Hardcover

Wessely, Simon; Hotopf, Matthew; Sharpe, Michael

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0192621815 ISBN 13: 9780192621818

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 1998

Synopsis

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome has been the subject of intense media debate over recent years. Such interest has been partially due to the scarcity of professional and scientific explorations of the topic - what is it, and what causes it? One school of thought argues that there is no medical basis to chronic fatigue and hence any such investigation is fruitless. An alternative view is that we should look at CFS purely as a physical problem, and that to attempt any psychological perspective is to trivialise the illness in the eyes of the sufferers. Chronic fatigue and its syndromes presents a comprehensive review of the problem of chronic fatigue, mixing medical, psychological, social, and historical perspectives. The book examines the historical origins of CFS, considering the epidemiology, and the various aetiological theories for the condition - viral, immunological, psychological, psychiatric, and neurological. The book concludes with a clinical section discussing the assessment and treatment of CFS. Throughout, the authors argue that chronic fatigue and its various syndromes cannot easily be pigeon holed into physical or psychological categories, and that the ambiguous nature of the illness actually provides us with a valuable chance to explore contemporary attitudes to sickness and health, one not offered by better defined or classified disorders.

About this title

About the Author:

Simon Wessely is at King's College School of Medicine, London. Matthew Hotopf is at Institute of Psychiatry, London.

Review:

"This is a unique addition to the psychiatric literature because of its exhaustive literature review of fatigue, as well as its multi-faceted approach to etiology."--Doody's Journal

"In Chronic Fatigue and Its Syndromes, three distinguished British scientists tackle this topic in its full physiological, phychological, and cultural complexity. . . . The writing is highly technical, yet achieves elegance through tight organization, clarity, and precision. Both lay and professional readers can easily read the text cover to cover or sonsult it as a quick reference on specific topics." The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease

"This book is an indispensable reference for physicians confronted with patients presenting combinations of the symptoms described and already informed by other sources of their "diagnosis". . . . This sensible and sober book, if minded, offers authoritative data, cogent interpretation, and ammunition to help end an unnecessary epidemic."JAMA

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0192621815
• ISBN 13: 9780192621818
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 440