Guise, Jennie, McVittie, Chris, McKinlay, Andy · Journal of health psychology · 2010 · DOI
This study looked at how ME/CFS patients describe their experiences when talking to doctors. Researchers analyzed conversations from an online support group and found that patients often feel their doctors don't listen to them or take their condition seriously. Interestingly, patients were careful about how they complained, trying to focus on practical issues rather than seeming like they were just complaining.
This research highlights the communication gap between ME/CFS patients and healthcare providers, documenting how patients experience medical interactions. Understanding these barriers is crucial for improving clinical care and helping healthcare professionals recognize how patients perceive their treatment, which may inform better strategies for supporting ME/CFS patients.
This study does not establish what doctors actually said or did—only how patients perceived and described these interactions. It cannot prove that doctors are intentionally dismissive, nor can it show whether patients' perceptions match objective clinical reality. The findings reflect a specific online support group and may not represent all ME/CFS patients' experiences.
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
Guise, Jennie, McVittie, Chris, & McKinlay, Andy (2010). A discourse analytic study of ME/CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) sufferers' experiences of interactions with doctors.. Journal of health psychology. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105309350515
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-guise-2010-discourse-analytic,
author = {Guise, Jennie and McVittie, Chris and McKinlay, Andy},
title = {A discourse analytic study of ME/CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) sufferers' experiences of interactions with doctors.},
journal = {Journal of health psychology},
year = {2010},
doi = {10.1177/1359105309350515},
note = {PubMed: 20348363},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/guise-2010-discourse-analytic},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-25. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/guise-2010-discourse-analytic
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