Chronic Fatigue - A Case Study

Bob was 32 years old. He was a mechanic and lived with his partner. He had been diagnosed with chronic fatigue for over 2 years before I met him. He was referred by his GP who had run out of options for him. He had received his diagnosis from the chronic fatigue centre in London. He would spend all day in bed with only brief pockets of energy. He was depressed and occasionally he would have suicidal thoughts as he saw no means of escape from his condition. Over the course of 9 months work Bob managed a gradual return to work, until he was working normal hours. Our work consisted of graded exercise programme and CBT to help address his non-useful thinking styles and depressive thinking. We also created a series of goals and worked together on achieving them. Unfortunately his relationship did not survive his illness and recovery but they remain good friends.