Simpson, M, Bennett, A, Holland, P · The Journal of analytical psychology · 1997 · DOI
This study explores why ME/CFS is so difficult for doctors to understand and treat. The authors look at how psychological factors—such as denial and unconscious defense mechanisms—might play a role in the condition alongside physical symptoms. They examined five patient cases and found that talking therapy helped some patients improve their symptoms.
This study highlights an important gap in ME/CFS understanding: the potential role of psychological processes in disease expression and symptom persistence. For patients, it suggests that psychotherapeutic approaches alongside medical treatment might offer benefit. For researchers, it raises questions about the complex interactions between mind and body in ME/CFS.
This study does not prove that ME/CFS is primarily psychological in origin or that psychological factors cause the disease. It is a small, uncontrolled case series without comparison groups, so improvements cannot be definitively attributed to the therapy rather than natural fluctuation or placebo effects. The findings cannot be generalized to the broader ME/CFS population.
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
Simpson, M, Bennett, A, & Holland, P (1997). Chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis as a twentieth-century disease: analytic challenges.. The Journal of analytical psychology. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1465-5922.1997.00191.x
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-simpson-1997-chronic-fatigue,
author = {Simpson, M and Bennett, A and Holland, P},
title = {Chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis as a twentieth-century disease: analytic challenges.},
journal = {The Journal of analytical psychology},
year = {1997},
doi = {10.1111/j.1465-5922.1997.00191.x},
note = {PubMed: 9161120},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/simpson-1997-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/simpson-1997-chronic-fatigue
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