Fischler, B, Cluydts, R, De Gucht, Y et al. · Acta psychiatrica Scandinavica · 1997 · DOI
This study found that people with ME/CFS have much higher rates of anxiety disorders—particularly generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)—compared to people without ME/CFS. The anxiety often started early and frequently occurred alongside other mental health conditions. The researchers suggest that anxiety may be a risk factor that makes someone more vulnerable to developing ME/CFS, rather than simply being caused by the illness itself.
Understanding the relationship between anxiety disorders and ME/CFS is crucial for developing more targeted diagnostic and treatment approaches. If anxiety disorders are indeed predisposing factors rather than mere consequences of illness, this could inform prevention and early intervention strategies, and may help clinicians identify at-risk individuals.
This study cannot establish causation—it does not prove that anxiety causes ME/CFS or vice versa. The cross-sectional nature of psychiatric assessment limits conclusions about the temporal sequence of anxiety onset relative to ME/CFS symptom development. The findings apply specifically to the study population and may not generalize to all ME/CFS patients.
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
Fischler, B, Cluydts, R, De Gucht, Y, Kaufman, L, & De Meirleir, K (1997). Generalized anxiety disorder in chronic fatigue syndrome.. Acta psychiatrica Scandinavica. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0447.1997.tb09653.x
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-fischler-1997-generalized-anxiety,
author = {Fischler, B and Cluydts, R and De Gucht, Y and Kaufman, L and De Meirleir, K},
title = {Generalized anxiety disorder in chronic fatigue syndrome.},
journal = {Acta psychiatrica Scandinavica},
year = {1997},
doi = {10.1111/j.1600-0447.1997.tb09653.x},
note = {PubMed: 9197905},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/fischler-1997-generalized-anxiety},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-28. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/fischler-1997-generalized-anxiety
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