Grande, Tilman, Grande, Bettina, Gerner, Patrick et al. · Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2023 · DOI
This article discusses how talking therapy (psychotherapy) might help people with ME/CFS cope better, even though it cannot cure the disease itself. The authors emphasize that ME/CFS is a physical illness requiring physical treatments, and they highlight that post-exertional malaise (getting worse after activity) is a key symptom that therapists should understand. They propose a practical approach to therapy that respects these facts while still helping patients manage their emotional wellbeing.
This editorial addresses a critical gap in ME/CFS care: recognizing that while the disease is biological, patients' psychological wellbeing and coping capacity deserve therapeutic support. It validates concerns many patients have about psychosomatic framing while still advocating for mental health care that respects the biological reality of the condition. This framework helps guide how therapists should approach ME/CFS patients ethically and effectively.
This editorial does not provide new empirical data or clinical trial results proving specific psychotherapeutic interventions are effective for ME/CFS. It cannot establish which types of therapy are most beneficial or what outcomes patients might achieve. As an opinion piece, it reflects current consensus but does not constitute independent experimental evidence.
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
Grande, Tilman, Grande, Bettina, Gerner, Patrick, Hammer, Sabine, Stingl, Michael, Vink, Mark, et al. (2023). The Role of Psychotherapy in the Care of Patients with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.. Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania). https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina59040719
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-grande-2023-role-psychotherapy,
author = {Grande, Tilman and Grande, Bettina and Gerner, Patrick and Hammer, Sabine and Stingl, Michael and Vink, Mark and Hughes, Brian M},
title = {The Role of Psychotherapy in the Care of Patients with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.},
journal = {Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania)},
year = {2023},
doi = {10.3390/medicina59040719},
note = {PubMed: 37109676},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/grande-2023-role-psychotherapy},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/grande-2023-role-psychotherapy
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