Wojcik, Wojtek, Armstrong, David, Kanaan, Richard · Journal of psychosomatic research · 2011 · DOI
This study surveyed British neurologists to understand how they view ME/CFS and whether they consider it a neurological condition. The results revealed that 84% of neurologists did not view ME/CFS as a neurological disorder, even though it is officially classified as one in the ICD-10 medical coding system. The researchers discuss how the way we label and classify ME/CFS affects how doctors treat patients and how patients understand their own illness.
This study highlights a critical gap between official medical classification and actual clinical practice among neurologists—the very specialists who should be diagnosing ME/CFS. Understanding these classification challenges helps explain why patients with ME/CFS may struggle to receive appropriate medical recognition and specialized care, and it identifies barriers to standardized diagnosis and treatment.
This study does not prove whether ME/CFS is or is not neurological in nature; it only documents what neurologists believe. The survey findings do not establish causation or explain why neurologists hold these views, nor do they evaluate the validity of different classification systems. The study also does not assess whether neurologists' classification beliefs affect patient outcomes or quality of care.
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
Wojcik, Wojtek, Armstrong, David, & Kanaan, Richard (2011). Chronic fatigue syndrome: labels, meanings and consequences.. Journal of psychosomatic research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2011.02.002
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-wojcik-2011-chronic-fatigue-2,
author = {Wojcik, Wojtek and Armstrong, David and Kanaan, Richard},
title = {Chronic fatigue syndrome: labels, meanings and consequences.},
journal = {Journal of psychosomatic research},
year = {2011},
doi = {10.1016/j.jpsychores.2011.02.002},
note = {PubMed: 21624573},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/wojcik-2011-chronic-fatigue-2},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-29. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/wojcik-2011-chronic-fatigue-2
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