Depression, attribution style and self-esteem in chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia patients: is there a link?
Michielsen, H J, Van Houdenhove, B, Leirs, I et al.·Clinical rheumatology·2006
This study looked at whether people with ME/CFS and fibromyalgia who blame external factors (rather than themselves) for problems are protected from depression. Researchers surveyed 85 patients and found that depression was common in both single diagnosis (ME/CFS only) and dual diagnosis (ME/CFS + fibromyalgia) groups. Blaming external factors did not prevent depression in patients with low self-esteem, suggesting that how we think about our situation may not be a key factor in whether we develop depression.