Lemke, M R · Fortschritte der Neurologie-Psychiatrie · 1996 · DOI
This editorial discusses how ME/CFS involves both physical symptoms and mental health aspects that need to be understood together. The authors explain that while doctors have focused heavily on physical symptoms, psychiatric factors—such as stress, sleep problems, and how the body's stress system works—play an important role in the syndrome. An effective approach to ME/CFS requires doctors from different specialties to work together.
This work emphasizes that ME/CFS is not purely psychological or purely biological—it requires integrated understanding of both systems. Recognizing psychiatric aspects as clinical features rather than solely comorbidities helps legitimize psychological interventions and encourages multidisciplinary care. This perspective remains relevant for developing comprehensive diagnostic and treatment frameworks.
This editorial does not provide new empirical evidence or data analysis—it synthesizes existing literature and represents expert opinion. It does not establish whether psychiatric symptoms are primary, secondary, or parallel manifestations of ME/CFS. It cannot determine causality between any specific biological or psychological factors and disease development.
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 →
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Primary citation
Lemke, M R (1996). [Chronic fatigue syndrome--psychiatric aspects].. Fortschritte der Neurologie-Psychiatrie. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-2007-996379
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-lemke-1996-chronic-fatigue,
author = {Lemke, M R},
title = {[Chronic fatigue syndrome--psychiatric aspects].},
journal = {Fortschritte der Neurologie-Psychiatrie},
year = {1996},
doi = {10.1055/s-2007-996379},
note = {PubMed: 8655125},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/lemke-1996-chronic-fatigue},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/lemke-1996-chronic-fatigue
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