The following is provided for your information only. The diagnosis of ME/CFS should be determined only by a suitably qualified medical professional.

Despite the fact that the Department of Health now accepts ME/CFS as a genuine medical condition, diagnosis can still pose a problem because ME/CFS symptoms are similar to those present in a number of other medical conditions. In addition, there are no examination findings which can confirm the diagnosis. This means there has to be a process of elimination (the exclusion of other conditions) before a diagnosis of ME/CFS can be made.

Several different diagnostic criteria have now been published in the UK, USA and Australia. The CDC criteria (reference: Annals of Internal Medicine, 1994, 121, 953-959) are frequently used when selecting ME/CFS patients for research studies.

However, these criteria have a number of defects (e.g. you have to have been ill for at least six months before ME/CFS is confirmed) and anecdotal reports suggest there are a significant minority of people with genuine ME/CFS who do not have a sufficient number of different symptoms to fulfil the strict CDC definition. Such conditions may have a relevance when selecting people for research studies, but delaying or withholding a diagnosis on these grounds is not helpful. It can cause problems with employers, schools, benefit claims etc.It can also affect the individual's recovery if they are unable take sufficient rest early on and manage their condition sensibly, rather than having to 'soldier on'. It is known that stress exacerbates the condition.