Gotaas, Merethe Eide, Stiles, Tore C, Bjørngaard, Johan Håkon et al. · Frontiers in psychiatry · 2021 · DOI
This study tested whether two types of talk therapy called cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) could help people with mild to moderate ME/CFS feel less tired and function better physically. One group received 16 weeks of standard CBT, another received 8 weeks of a shorter version, and a third group was waitlisted. Both therapy groups improved in physical function compared to the control group, and the standard CBT group also showed fatigue reduction. These improvements lasted for a full year after treatment ended.
This study provides evidence that structured psychological interventions can improve both fatigue and physical functioning in ME/CFS, offering patients a safe, non-pharmacological treatment option. The persistence of benefits at one year suggests potential long-term value, and the comparison of standard versus brief formats helps inform resource allocation in clinical settings.
This study does not establish the biological mechanisms underlying CBT's effects, nor does it address whether improvements reflect true physical recovery or changes in symptom perception and coping. The study excluded severe ME/CFS cases, so findings may not generalize to more debilitated populations, and the lack of blinding to treatment assignment could introduce bias.
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
Gotaas, Merethe Eide, Stiles, Tore C, Bjørngaard, Johan Håkon, Borchgrevink, Petter C, & Fors, Egil A (2021). Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Improves Physical Function and Fatigue in Mild and Moderate Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Consecutive Randomized Controlled Trial of Standard and Short Interventions.. Frontiers in psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.580924
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-gotaas-2021-cognitive-behavioral,
author = {Gotaas, Merethe Eide and Stiles, Tore C and Bjørngaard, Johan Håkon and Borchgrevink, Petter C and Fors, Egil A},
title = {Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Improves Physical Function and Fatigue in Mild and Moderate Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Consecutive Randomized Controlled Trial of Standard and Short Interventions.},
journal = {Frontiers in psychiatry},
year = {2021},
doi = {10.3389/fpsyt.2021.580924},
note = {PubMed: 33912079},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/gotaas-2021-cognitive-behavioral},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-25. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/gotaas-2021-cognitive-behavioral
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