Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gxg78 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-25T16:28:23.255Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Chronic fatigue syndrome in children and adolescents

General practitioners' experience of the problem and their views about its treatment

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Josephine Richards
Affiliation:
Section of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Frank Smith*
Affiliation:
General Practice and Primary Care, Section of Child Mental Health, Department of General Psychiatry, Jenner Wing, St George's Hospital Medical School Cranmer Terrace, Tooting, London SW17 0RE
*
Correspondence
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

General practitioners in a south London health authority were sent a questionnaire about their experience and views concerning the treatment of childhood chronic fatigue syndrome. Most thought childhood chronic fatigue syndrome had a significant psychological component, but opinion was divided over referral to a psychiatrist. The involvement of self-help organisations was supported but the place of rest and exercise unclear. The optimum primary care management of childhood chronic fatigue syndrome needs to be established.

Type
Original Papers
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
Copyright © 1998 The Royal College of Psychiatrists

Footnotes

See editorial pp. 193–194 and 198–202, this issue.

References

Bassindale, C. (1996) The ME generation. Evening Standard 23 April, 27.Google Scholar
Boseley, S. (1997) Schools swept by ME plague. Guardian, 22 May, 1.Google Scholar
Carter, B. D., Edwards, J. F., Kronenberger, W. G., et al (1995) Case control study of chronic fatigue patients in pediatric patients. Pediatrics, 95, 179186.Google Scholar
Cox, I. M., Campbell, M. J. & Dowson, D. (1991) Red blood cell magnesium and chronic fatigue syndrome. Lancet, 337, 757760.Google Scholar
Dowsett, E. G. & Colby, J. (1997) Long term sickness absence due to ME/CFS in UK schools: an epidemiological study with medical and educational implications. Journal of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, 3, 2942.Google Scholar
Euba, R., Chalder, T., Deale, A., et al (1996) A comparison of the characteristics of chronic fatigue syndrome in primary and tertiary care. British Journal of Psychiatry, 168, 121126.Google Scholar
Franklin, A. (1995) Children with ME. Guidelines for School Doctors and General Practitioners. Stanford-le-Hope: Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) Association.Google Scholar
Fulcher, K. & White, P. (1997) Randomised controlled trial of graded exercise in patients with the chronic fatigue syndrome. British Medical Journal, 314, 16471652.Google Scholar
Godlee, F. (1997) Plague or pure hype? British Medical Journal, 314, 1700.Google Scholar
Ho-Yen, D. O. & McNamara, I. (1991) General practitioners' experience of the chronic fatigue syndrome. British Journal of General Practice, 41, 324326.Google ScholarPubMed
Kendrick, T., Sibbald, B., Burns, T., et al (1991) Role of general practitioners in care of long term mentally ill patients. British Medical Journal, 302, 508510.Google Scholar
Lawrie, S. M. & Pelosi, A. J. (1995) Chronic fatigue syndrome in the community: Prevalence and associations. British Journal of Psychiatry, 166, 793797.Google Scholar
Marcovitch, H. (1997) Managing chronic fatigue syndrome in children. British Medical Journal, 314, 16351636.Google Scholar
Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth Health Authority (1995) Directory of General Practitioners. London: MSWHA.Google Scholar
Royal College of Physicians, Royal College of Psychiatrists and Royal College of General Practitioners (1996) Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Report of a joint working group of the Royal Colleges of Physicians, Psychiatrists and General Practitioners (Council Report CR54). London: Royal College of Physicians.Google Scholar
Scott, S., Deary, I. & Pelosi, A. J. (1995) General practitioners' attitudes to patients with a self diagnosis of myalgic encephalitis. British Medical Journal, 310, 508.Google Scholar
Sharpe, M., Hawton, K., Simkin, S., et al (1996) Cognitive behaviour therapy for the chronic fatigue syndrome: a randomised controlled trial. British Medical Journal, 312, 2226.Google Scholar
Sharpe, M. C., Archard, L. C., Banatvala, J. E., et al (1991) A report – chronic fatigue syndrome: guidelines for research. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 84, 118121.Google Scholar
Vereker, M. I. (1992) Chronic fatigue syndrome: a joint paediatric–psychiatric approach. Archives of Disease in Childhood, 67, 550555.Google Scholar
Wachsmuth, J. R. & Macmillan, H. L. (1991) Effective treatment for an adolescent with chronic fatigue syndrome. Clinical Paediatrics, 30, 488490.Google Scholar
Walford, G. A., McNelson, W. & McClusky, D. R. (1993) Fatigue, depression and social adjustment in chronic fatigue syndrome. Archives of Disease in Childhood, 68, 384388.Google Scholar
Wessely, S., Chalder, T., Hirsch, S., et al (1997) The prevalence and morbidity of chronic fatigue and chronic fatigue syndrome: a prospective primary care study. American Journal of Public Health, 87, 14491455.Google Scholar
Wessely, S., David, A., Butler, S., et al (1989) Management of chronic (post-viral) fatigue syndrome. Journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners, 39, 2629.Google Scholar
Westcare (1994) Report from the National Task Force on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Post Viral Fatigue Syndrome, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis. Bristol: Westcare.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.