Sharpe, M · Ciba Foundation symposium · 1993 · DOI
This study looked at whether talking therapies and behavioral changes could help people with ME/CFS feel better. Researchers tested cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)—a type of counseling that helps people change unhelpful thought patterns and gradually increase activity—in patients with ME/CFS. Early results showed that most patients receiving CBT improved, especially in their ability to do daily tasks.
This study addresses a fundamental question about whether psychological and behavioral interventions can help ME/CFS patients improve functionally. The biopsychosocial framework it proposes remains influential in ME/CFS treatment discussions, making this work historically important for understanding how different therapeutic approaches have been evaluated in this condition.
This study does not prove that psychological factors cause ME/CFS, nor does it demonstrate that CBT is more effective than standard care—only that it shows promise in early results. The study also does not establish whether improvements are maintained long-term or whether CBT is suitable for all ME/CFS patients, and the theoretical biopsychosocial model had not yet been empirically validated.
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
Sharpe, M (1993). Non-pharmacological approaches to treatment.. Ciba Foundation symposium. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470514382.ch17
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-sharpe-1993-non-pharmacological,
author = {Sharpe, M},
title = {Non-pharmacological approaches to treatment.},
journal = {Ciba Foundation symposium},
year = {1993},
doi = {10.1002/9780470514382.ch17},
note = {PubMed: 8491104},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/sharpe-1993-non-pharmacological},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-27. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/sharpe-1993-non-pharmacological
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