Rikard-Bell, C J, Waters, B G · The Australian and New Zealand journal of psychiatry · 1992 · DOI
This study looked at how to help teenagers with ME/CFS using rehabilitation approaches that focus on practical recovery rather than debating what causes the illness. The authors present two case studies of adolescents with different outcomes and suggest that avoiding arguments about whether ME/CFS is 'all in the mind' or biological helps doctors provide better, more consistent care.
This study highlights an important problem that still affects ME/CFS patients today: conflicting medical opinions about the illness cause can fragment care and worsen outcomes, especially for young people. By proposing a practical rehabilitation approach that works regardless of etiology debates, the authors suggest a path toward more unified, patient-centered treatment that focuses on what actually helps teenagers recover.
This case study does not establish the cause of ME/CFS, nor does it prove that rehabilitation is universally effective for all adolescent patients. The small sample size (two cases) and lack of control group mean findings cannot be generalized, and the reported outcomes may reflect individual circumstances rather than treatment efficacy. The study also does not resolve the underlying biological versus psychological debate—it only suggests clinicians should move past it.
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
Rikard-Bell, C J & Waters, B G (1992). Psychosocial management of chronic fatigue syndrome in adolescence.. The Australian and New Zealand journal of psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.3109/00048679209068310
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-rikard-bell-1992-psychosocial-management,
author = {Rikard-Bell, C J and Waters, B G},
title = {Psychosocial management of chronic fatigue syndrome in adolescence.},
journal = {The Australian and New Zealand journal of psychiatry},
year = {1992},
doi = {10.3109/00048679209068310},
note = {PubMed: 1580887},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/rikard-bell-1992-psychosocial-management},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-26. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/rikard-bell-1992-psychosocial-management
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