Date sent:      	Tue, 25 Dec 2001 

Source: http://www.ahmf.org/01phillips.html

Abstracts Sydney Conf. (17/35) = Dr Nicole Phillips
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The position of Australian psychiatry in the CFS debate


Dr Nicole Phillips, MBchB, dipRACOG,DPM,FRANZCP

872 High Street,
Armadale,
Victoria 3143
Tel (03) 9500 1110,
Fax (03) 9827 1462,
email: dr.rich@mrich.com.au


The involvement of the psychiatric profession in the CFS area has
been a highly contentious issue and has, on the whole, annoyed
many researchers looking at biological markers and upset and
angered CFS patients.

In the past few years, there have been a number of publications by
psychiatrists, in psychiatric, medical and general practice literature,
which have dropped the "fatigue" from chronic fatigue syndrome,
and used these terms interchangeably with neurasthenia and
somatisation.

The implications of this are enormous for CFS patients trying to find
adequate medical and psychological care.

This paper will discuss the concepts of "neurasthenia" and
somatisation and review some recent psychiatric publications. The
author will conclude with her analysis of psychiatry's position and
present a different paradigm for psychiatry and CFS in the future.