Abstract
The aetiology, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of ME/CFS are controversial. Doctors and sufferers often have opposing perspectives, leading to problematic clinical
interactions. We use discourse analysis
to explore ME/CFS sufferers’ descriptions of interactions with medical professionals taken from an asynchronous, online sufferers’ support group. Participants described themselves as experiencing limited
medical care and attention but restricted criticisms to ‘legitimate’, pragmatic or ancillary matters such as a clinicians’ unwillingness to prescribe untested treatments. Participants also described themselves as active in seeking a resolution to their problems. They thus attended to possible negative attributions of being ‘complaining’ or unmotivated to seek recovery.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 426-435 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Journal of Health Psychology |
| Volume | 15 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Apr 2010 |
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Guise, J., McVittie, C., & McKinlay, A. (2010). A discourse analytic study of ME/CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) sufferers' experiences of interactions with doctors. Journal of Health Psychology, 15(3), 426-435. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105309350515