ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the theoretical possibilities and the existing scientific and medical evidence for whether fatigue has a physical cause or a psychological cause, or both, and illustrates how and why Cognitive Behaviour Therapy may be helpful in addressing the chronicity of fatigue, whatever the cause. The brain houses an area called the limbic system which is the powerhouse of the emotions, such as pleasure, happiness, fear and anger, all of which influence our psychological state. The limbic system recognises physical or psychological threats to life and modifies behaviour towards safety. This all adds up to psychoneuroimmunology, a term of which patient may have heard, although it is a relatively new area of research. Some believe that such criteria are based on research and can at best only be descriptive. In 1988 the first criteria for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis were outlined and have subsequently been refined on several occasions as more information about the condition has been gathered.
