4. M.E. vs Depression, M.E. vs FM

1)** Following are two charts
comparing M.E. with depression, and
M.E. & F.M.  Following those two charts, is
a third chart showing the severity and  duration of
M.E. & F.M.  These charts are the best
summarization of all materials I could find. 
"M.E. only" and "F.M. only" are compared here,
as 75% of M.E. patients have F.M. as well;
however only 5% of F.M. patients have M.E. 
The distinctions between M.E. & F.M. may
sometimes be "fuzzy".  These comparisons are in
general terms; M.E. or F.M. can start from young
children up to those 80 years of age.  (#92055
Video2 @6:41); (#92056 Video3@3:10).  M.E. &
F.M. are not the same as depression.  It is very
important that a diagnosis be done by a doctor who
is familiar with M.E. or F.M., as there are many
people who do not have these illnesses,  but have
been diagnosed with it.  This does great harm to
those that actually have it.  An extensive
investigation must be done to ensure that you do
not have another major illness. 

2)** Written psychological tests  show
the differences between M.E. and depression quite
clearly - eg "Do you feel like doing things during
the day?"  For an M.E. patient, the answer would
be "Yes, I feel like doing things even though I am
not physically able to and/or I don't pace myself
and then do too much"; for a depressed person, the
answer would be "No, I don't feel like doing
anything during the day, even though I may be
physically capable of doing something."

3)** C.F., F.M., and C.F.S. - the
differences.  Chronic Fatigue, Fibromyalgia
and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome are not the same
illness.  The following diagram can be used to
illustrate this: 

     a)** The diagram shows the percentage of
     the general population that is affected by all
     three.

     b)** The relationship between the three and
     how they interact between each other.

     c)** Chronic Fatigue is a symptom found
     in most debilitating illnesses such as
     cancer, Lupus, Lyme Disease, AIDS, etc. 
     Dr. Charles Lapp of the Cheney Clinic, 
     and others, have expressed this many
     times.  This symptom, which consists of
     only being very tired, is also a common
     symptom with both M.E. and F.M.  Dr.
     Anthony Komaroff, one of the key
     designers of the 1988 and 1994 CDC
     definition for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome,
     believes there are two separate states -  one
     chronic fatigue, the other one chronic
     fatigue syndrome.  The chronic fatigue
     comes with cancer or thyroid problems and
     several other illnesses. The new 1994 CDC
     criteria also makes this distinction.

4)** Charts of severity and duration
of symptoms  for M.E. or F.M. patients.
#940805-4. {PO}{My best estimate from materials
I have read and from speaking with people in
support groups, is as follows; this information is
for the general population - some patients will not
fall within these percentages.  M.E. only patients
do get some relief to a varying degree after several
years.  These figures account for all the people
who have ever contracted M.E. or F.M., and how
they are doing at this point in time.  Many
calculations do not include those who have not yet
been diagnosed, have been improperly diagnosed,
or people who are in partial or full remission. 
Similar to arthritis, some people are still able to
work while suffering with symptoms, while for
others the symptoms are too severe for them to be
able to work.}

NOTE: (1) M.E. affects 3 per 1,000.  As a comparison M.S. affects 2 per 1,000, and Cystic
Fibrosis  affects 1 in 2,500 people, equal to .0004% of the population. 
      (2) As M.E. sometimes has epidemics, (similar to a bad flu year) these numbers will
fluctuate.  
      (3) FM may have a gradual onset over many years so these figures are more 
dificult to estimate.

NOTE: (1) This does not mean that either M.E or F.M. people were cured, just that the
disability was     reduced enough to return to work.
      (2)  These percentages are based on 3-5% of the entire healthy population getting F.M.  A
large    percentage of those are never disabled enough to have to stop work.

5)** Recovery. There have been nolong-term studies done of people with M.E.  The
figures used by many are from "how do you feel
today" questionnaires.  My experience from the
support groups is that many M.E. patients say they
are cured or they are taking something that has
cured them, only to hear six months later that they
had a relapse.  {PO}{I believe the recovery rates
for M.E. patients will show a longer duration of
debilitating illness and a better reflection of the
working disabled (like arthritis).}

     a)** 60% - 70% of patients do not seem to
     fully recover from M.E., but recover to
     80% to 90% of what they were previous to
     the illness taking effect.  Even after a
     remission the illness may come back. 
     (#92002 Video1@ 0:04).  Children and
     teenagers seem to recover 3 - 4 times faster
     than the average adult.  {PO}{Males do
     seem to recover slightly faster than
     females, which may be why there are more
     females sick at any given time.}

     b)** There are an estimated 1 to 5 million
     people in North America and Europe with
     M.E., with 150,000 in Canada (#90001-1).