Education and debate

Professional and popular views of chronic fatigue syndrome

Academic Department of Psychological Medicine, King's College School of Medicine and Dentistry, Denmark Hill, London SE5 9RS Correspondence to: Dr Wessely.

Abstract

Objective : To study the coverage of the chronic fatigue syndrome in the popular and professional press.
Design : Search of all original research papers on the chronic fatigue syndrome published in British journals from 1980 onwards and of professional trade papers, national newspapers, and women's magazines. Interviews with six medical journalists.
Setting : British scientific, medical, and popular press.
Results : 37 (49%) articles in research journals did not favour organic causes and 23 (31%) favoured organic causes. By contrast 31 (55%) articles in the medical trade press and 118 (69%) in national newspapers and women's magazines favoured organic causes.
Conclusions : Press coverage of chronic fatigue syndrome has amplified and distorted divisions in the research community concerning the chronic fatigue syndrome. Articles in the press concentrate on a simple medical model of illness reinforcing the stigma of psychological illness and dissatisfaction with traditional medical authority.

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    StumbleUpon    Technorati    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Voss, M. (2002). Checking the Pulse: Midwestern Reporters' Opinions on Their Ability to Report Health Care News. AJPH 92: 1158-1160 [Abstract] [Full text]  
• Hurel, S J, Abuiasha, B, Baylis, P H, Harris, P E (1995). Patients with a self diagnosis of myalgic encephalomyelitis. BMJ 311: 329-329 [Full text]  
• Blatch, C, Blatt, T, Wilson, A, Hickie, I, Lloyd, A, Hadzi-Pavlovic, D, Boughton, C, Dwyer, J, Wakefield, D, Goudsmit, E M, Anderson, N, Tannock, C, Costa, D C, Brostoff, J, Ho-Yen, D O, Grant, A, Ho-Yen, D O, Shanks, M, Abbot, N C, Spence, V A, Lowe, J G, Potts, R C, Hassan, A H A, Belch, J J F, Beck, J S, Read, C, Howes, S, Prince, K, Shepherd, C, Fleming, C, Airs, V, Broderick, J, Woodcock, S (1994). Chronic fatigue syndrome. Distinguish between syndromes.... BMJ 308: 1297-1298 [Full text]  
• Lawrie, S M, Pelosi, A J (1994). Chronic fatigue syndrome: prevalence and outcome. BMJ 308: 732-733 [Full text]