Bazelmans, E, Prins, J B, Lulofs, R et al. · Psychotherapy and psychosomatics · 2005 · DOI
This study tested whether cognitive behavior group therapy (CBGT)—a type of talk therapy done in groups—could help people with ME/CFS feel less fatigued and function better. Researchers compared 31 patients who received 12 sessions of CBGT over 6 months to 36 patients on a waiting list. They found the therapy had a modest benefit for fatigue but unexpectedly made functional problems slightly worse.
Understanding which psychological interventions work for ME/CFS and for whom is crucial for developing better treatment options. This study highlights that group-based cognitive behavioral approaches may help some patients but suggests that standard protocols need adaptation for ME/CFS, particularly regarding activity pacing and therapist training.
This study does not prove that CBGT is an effective standalone treatment for ME/CFS, as it lacked randomisation and showed mixed results with unexpected deterioration in functional outcomes. The moderate effect sizes and lack of rigorous blinding mean we cannot confidently distinguish between genuine therapeutic benefit and placebo/natural recovery effects. The findings cannot be generalised to selected patient populations or to CBGT delivered by experienced CFS therapists.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Bazelmans, E, Prins, J B, Lulofs, R, van der Meer, J W M, Bleijenberg, G, & Netherlands Fatigue Research Group Nijmegen (2005). Cognitive behaviour group therapy for chronic fatigue syndrome: a non-randomised waiting list controlled study.. Psychotherapy and psychosomatics. https://doi.org/10.1159/000085145
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-bazelmans-2005-cognitive-behaviour,
author = {Bazelmans, E and Prins, J B and Lulofs, R and van der Meer, J W M and Bleijenberg, G and Netherlands Fatigue Research Group Nijmegen},
title = {Cognitive behaviour group therapy for chronic fatigue syndrome: a non-randomised waiting list controlled study.},
journal = {Psychotherapy and psychosomatics},
year = {2005},
doi = {10.1159/000085145},
note = {PubMed: 15947511},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/bazelmans-2005-cognitive-behaviour},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-26. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/bazelmans-2005-cognitive-behaviour
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