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ME/CFS Personalities – The Research

4/15/2014

4 Comments

 
Picture© 2014 TSM
On a recent blog (4/1/14) Donna raised the question about personalities and ME/CFS.  Do we have traits in common that are part of the ‘syndrome’?  We’ve all heard that ME/CFS patients are usually Type A personalities defined as competitive, impatient, driven and stressed.  For many, the anecdotal evidence supports this association.  I’m a classic example of a Type A.  And you’ll find blogs, articles and endless fodder on the internet attesting to this viewpoint.  But
does the research support such a link?

I found three studies that examined the personalities of ME/CFS
patients – let us know if you have found others.


The first, “Personality and Perfectionism in CFS” confirms a personality link. 
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08870440802403863#.U02NwtfD-po

The second, “CFS and DSM-IV Personality Disorders” concludes that there is no link. 
 http://cfids-cab.org/cfs-inform/Cfsdepression/courjaret.etal08.pdf

The third, “Personality Features and Personality Disorders in CFS”, offers a ‘maybe or maybe not’ association. 
 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20664306

Not addressing the flaws in the research, that’s a solid ‘don’t know’.  As ME/CFS patients, we’ve gotten used to the ‘don’t know’ territory.  Our diagnosis is a question mark.  The causality is a question mark.  The treatment is a question mark.  And, of course, our personality’s part in contributing to our dis-ease is a question mark.  Status Quo.

But hard data or not, for me, the path to recovery required that I change my personality.  Being a type A and recovering from ME/CFS didn’t mix. I had to not only slow down my body, I had to slow down my psyche.  This required focused retraining.  How
are you dealing with personality and your struggle with ME/CFS?  What are your strategies?  Please COMMENT on this blog or Send in your thoughts and I’ll post them with your permission.  You can use the Contact Form or send an email to Martha at DefeatCFS dot net.  And Guest Blogs are most welcome!

Look for a weekly posting on Tuesdays.  And consider being part of the conversation.

Be Well Again,

Martha

4 Comments
Eleni
4/16/2014 02:23:43 am

Hi Martha,

Thank you again for your great posts! This issue I feel is important to consider as it can be pretty tricky to start on the path to recovery when you have (as I'm pretty sure I do) a type A personality! As you so brilliantly put (possibly my favourite line from all of your posts!)
"Being a type A and recovering from ME/CFS didn’t mix. I had to not only slow down my body, I had to slow down my psyche. This required focused retraining." I still really need to work on 'slowing down my psyche' as it's definitely getting in the way of me really allowing myself to rest properly and heal!! It's jolly hard though, almost harder to crack than almost anything else I'm doing to help my recovery! Thank you again:)

Reply
Martha
4/16/2014 07:57:40 am

We Type As need a whip to control our psyches :) It's difficult to change a part of ourselves that seems innate. But we can. I managed to but truthfully, it was my last option if I wanted to fully recover. Keep at it and let us know how you're doing. Thanks Eleni!

Reply
Donna
4/18/2014 08:59:55 pm

Thank you, Martha, for the data. Since I tend to be more of a "right-brained" personality with no background in science, I may be misinterpreting the studies. But, it appeared to me that they were searching for a direct psychiatric link between ME/CFS and its sufferers. I disagree. I do believe that the tendency toward a Type A personality and perfectionism promotes a life style of stress and overwork that may leave a person more susceptible to ME/CFS.

It's been nearly 20 years for me. I still struggle with lowering my standards, but have adopted the phrase, "good enough." I've redefined my idea of leading a successful life. I've let go of many of my goals and dreams realizing that they are simply frosting on the cake, unnecessary for a happy life. As the years have progressed, my world has become smaller and simpler with fewer possessions and fewer people. Living with this illness continues to teach me who is truly important and what is truly important. I'm less judgmental and more compassionate and spiritual, and for that, I am grateful. There are still many more lessons ahead, but I think that I'm on the right path. :-)

Reply
Martha
4/19/2014 01:33:59 am

Donna, I agree that aspects of the studies seem to be looking for a psychiatric disorder which would explain ME/CFS rather than a personality trait that would be one of the contributing catalysts. That debate will go on and on. Meanwhile patients continue to struggle with the cruelty of ME/CFS on a daily basis. As for coping and addressing our Type A personalities, I don't think we are lowering our standards. I think we are making smarter choices. When I was sick, I thought about the adage that no one regretted on their death bed not working enough. People regretted not spending time with family and friends. They regretted not smelling the roses. They regretted not spending more time relaxing. So I thought of my recovery as adjusting my personality type in order to be well again AND getting into training for leading a richer life. Can't say I've been disappointed. Thanks

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    After struggling with CFS for four years I am fortunate now to be fully well and making choices about how I want to live my healthy life.  One choice is to be an active part of the CFS community and to offer one voice from the fully recoverd to the dialogue.  I'm glad you're here!   For more about me, here's my Bio.

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