Chronic fatigue syndrome and women: can therapy help?

This article presents current research on chronic fatigue syndrome, which currently afflicts mostly females between the ages of 25 and 55. Because depression is a common symptom of chronic fatigue syndrome, mental health practitioners are often involved with the victims and must formulate an appropriate treatment strategy that considers the physiological, intrapsychic, interpersonal, and environmental aspects of the client. This article includes case material focusing on a woman who was medically diagnosed with the Epstein-Barr virus and was in psychotherapy with the author. The difficulty of managing the interplay of the real health problems and the emotional issues presented by the client is highlighted.