Jason, L A · The journal of primary prevention · 1993 · DOI
This 1993 paper explores how the mind, nervous system, and immune system are connected in ME/CFS, and how community support might help with recovery. The authors use a real patient's story to show how understanding these connections and building supportive relationships could be helpful for people struggling with this illness.
This paper was among early attempts to bridge biomedical and psychosocial perspectives on ME/CFS at a time when the illness was poorly understood. It advocates for holistic approaches that acknowledge the complex interactions between immune, nervous, and psychological systems, which remains relevant to contemporary biopsychosocial treatment discussions.
This conceptual paper does not provide empirical evidence that psychoneuroimmunological interventions treat ME/CFS, nor does it establish that psychological factors cause the illness. The single case study cannot demonstrate efficacy or causation, and the paper does not measure immune function, neurological status, or clinical outcomes systematically.
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 →
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