Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is used to support and help people through all sorts of illnesses. It can help you to adjust to some of the consequences of being unwell and help you to feel more in control of the illness. As with other illnesses such as cancer, its use does not imply that the cause of the illness is psychological.
It can help you to identify, understand and modify behaviours and beliefs which can impact on your illness. e.g. a tendency to over do it, or being unable to say 'no'. It can be particularly helpful for people who find it difficult to manage and pace their mental and physical activity.
CBT can help people with:
Randomised controlled trials (the gold standard for research) into this approach in adults have shown some positive results in people well enough to attend an out-patient clinic. There have been no published randomised controlled trials of CBT in children or the more severely affected.
It is believed that this can be a beneficial strategy if the therapist has a sound knowledge of M.E., is appropriately trained and is able to work in a collaborative and flexible way.
View a selection of related articles from past issues of InterAction, our quarterly magazine.
Information first produced November 2003. Currently under review.
