Elena Garralda, M, Chalder, Trudie · Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines · 2005 · DOI
This review examines how ME/CFS appears in children and teenagers and discusses the best ways to help them recover. The authors found that ME/CFS in young people is often triggered by infections and can be diagnosed using the same criteria as in adults. They recommend a family-based approach using cognitive behavior therapy and gradually increasing activity, which has shown promise in helping children regain function.
This review is important because ME/CFS in children is often under-recognized and under-managed compared to adult cases. It provides clinicians with a framework for assessment and evidence-based rehabilitation strategies while acknowledging the real tensions between biomedical and behavioral perspectives that affect family engagement in treatment.
This review does not provide randomized controlled trial evidence for any specific treatment approach, nor does it prove the underlying biological mechanisms of ME/CFS. The authors note there is no empirical evidence supporting 'pacing' approaches, but this review itself does not constitute a systematic meta-analysis with formal strength-of-evidence ratings. It also does not establish whether mood disorders are primary causes or secondary consequences of ME/CFS in children.
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
Elena Garralda, M & Chalder, Trudie (2005). Practitioner review: chronic fatigue syndrome in childhood.. Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2005.01424.x
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-elena-garralda-2005-practitioner-review,
author = {Elena Garralda, M and Chalder, Trudie},
title = {Practitioner review: chronic fatigue syndrome in childhood.},
journal = {Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines},
year = {2005},
doi = {10.1111/j.1469-7610.2005.01424.x},
note = {PubMed: 16238661},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/elena-garralda-2005-practitioner-review},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-27. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/elena-garralda-2005-practitioner-review
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