ABSTRACT
The problems involved with getting people to realize that child has chronic fatigue immune dysfunction syndrome (CFIDS) are almost as difficult as coping with the illness itself. Perhaps more than with any other illness existing, CFIDS is extremely difficult for the average family physician to diagnose. When young persons with CFIDS (YPWCs) reach the point when they can no longer hide that they are too exhausted to keep up, they will tend to withdraw from their circle of friends. Children, especially teenagers, have such a great need to fit in, to be like everyone else, that the stigma of constantly being sick can embarrass them. Children's illnesses should not be attributed to anything such as child abuse, emotional problems, or malingering merely because their symptoms cannot be explained. Other ailments are also difficult to diagnose, such as polio, head injuries, and certain types of poisonings. The basis of CFIDS is a real medical or organic insult or injury.
