A new study has found some types of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) can help those suffering from the debilitating condition chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).
The study was conducted by Dr Vivek Kolala, a psychiatry registrar and James Cook University graduate. Senior academic supervision was provided by psychiatrist and JCU lecturer Dr Kai Yang Chen.
Chronic fatigue syndrome is a complex condition characterised by persistent, debilitating fatigue, and its underlying causes remain poorly understood.
"The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates CFS affects 17–24 million people worldwide. It's unclear what causes it, with factors such as genetics, viral infections and immune abnormalities thought to play a role," said Dr Chen.
He said CBT therapy helps people notice unhelpful patterns in their thoughts and behaviours and replace them with more realistic, constructive ones.
"While CBT has been widely used as a management strategy, its benefits have remained contested among clinicians, researchers and patient communities," said Dr Kolala.
A research team examined 12 randomised controlled trials involving 1799 adults diagnosed with CFS. The researchers assessed several forms of CBT - individual face to face, self-directed and group-based - across outcomes including fatigue, physical functioning, mood symptoms, pain and quality of life.
"When all CBT formats were pooled, the analysis did not find a statistically significant overall effect on fatigue.
"However, individual face to face CBT demonstrated a large effect in reducing fatigue symptoms. Self-directed CBT, often delivered through manuals or digital platforms, showed a similarly large effect in improving physical functioning, suggesting it may be particularly useful for people with milder forms of the illness," said Dr Kolala.
He said other CBT formats, including group therapy, did not show significant benefits.
"The review shows CBT may be best considered a supportive option, but not a cure. Further research is needed to clarify the role of self-directed approaches, long term outcomes, and combination treatments," said Dr Kolala.
