Differential diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome and psychiatric disorders
ANDRONICI FOTIADOU, N. KOUTOUVIDIS, S. ILIAS
Red Cross Hospital, Dept. of Psychiatry

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a debilitating illnes in recent years of unknown aetiology. There are high rates of prior and concurrent psychiatric disorders in CFS subjects, especially the mood disorders.

There is a growing body of evidence from clinical, neuroendocrine, neuropsychology and functional studies that describes differences between CFS and psychiatric disorders.

The chronic fatigue syndrome is a clinically defined condition characterized by severe disabling fatigue and a combination of symptoms that prominently features selfreported impairments in concentration and short-term memory, sleep disturbances and musculoskeletal pain.

Somatoform disorders, anxiety disorders, major depression, and other symptomatically defined symdromes can manifest severe fatigue and several somatic and psychological symptoms and are diagnosed more frequently in population affected by chronic fatigue and the chronic fatigue syndrome than in the general population.