Chronic fatigue and chronic depression are absolutely systemic in our current society. Recent studies by the AMA and CMA state that one in four people in North America suffer from some form of chronic fatigue or depression, and eight in ten are expected to experience similar afflictions in their lifetime. But numbers like these don’t tell the cause and only tell half the story.
In June of this year, my new book titled “Until You’ve Walked the Path” hit the bookstores. In it, I chronicle my own real-life battle and recovery from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. [Chronic Fatigue Syndrome]. I am pleased to say that from the responses I have received, the book has touched many people in a positive way, both those with the disease and caregivers who are looking for new ways to help those afflicted.
In conversations about CFS, the question I get asked the most is, “What is causing my [their] chronic depression and fatigue?” Followed by, “Is it just stress?”
I admit I am not a doctor and have no medical training, however I have done quite a bit of research over the last decade and am a true CFS survivor. That being said, I believe there are three fundamental ‘fields’, so to speak, that can cause depression or fatigue and it is absolutely essential to determine which field you are in to speed recovery.
Camp #1: CFIDS [Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome]
CFIDS is the new acronym for most immune dysfunctional disorders that covers a broad base of causes and outcomes. More specifically, the factors that can cause CFS are viral. In my case I was diagnosed with the Epstein-Barr Virus [EBV]. Another common virus known to cause CFS is the ME virus. [Myalgic Encephalomyelitis]. An outcome associated with CFS patients is fibromyalgia; an excruciatingly painful disease that affects every muscle and joint in the body.
I could go on, but the important point to understand is that most causes of ‘Real’ Chronic Fatigue Syndrome are often viral. These viruses attack the immune system causing acute malaise, fatigue and depression. Stress is another phenomenon that weakens the immune system and is often one of the main causes of chronic fatigue syndrome. On the other hand, motivators like post-viral infection, as it was in my case, are known to be a big part of the cause because of the damaging consequences it can take on a healthy immune system. One result is depression and fatigue.
Camp #2: Mood Disorders
Mood disorders are perhaps easier for most people to understand. Not the diseases themselves, but the fact that there are commonly known diseases such as: By-Polar, Manic-Depression and Schizophrenia, to name just three. We all know that they can cause often unpredictable behavioral changes in those affected. Another result is depression and fatigue.
Camp #3: Substance Abuse
Whether it’s drugs or alcohol, [prescribed or otherwise]many people are victims of their affections that, over time, can clearly evolve into conditions of discomfort.
Stress relief is often the reason that those who use drugs and alcohol regularly do not need to be addicted to experience many of the health declines that eventually occur. Another result, of course, is depression and fatigue.
By now, you may be seeing a bit of a claim that I am making in this article that now requires me to make two important points:
1. Depression and fatigue can be the result of many different motivators.
2. It is critical that patients seek immediate professional help to pinpoint what is causing their fatigue and depression.
I have seen too many people needlessly wither away with illnesses like these, never receiving the proper help. Many of them try to hide their problem and hide in the shadows because it is not a glamorous disease and for the most part it is still a bit misunderstood even by many in the medical field.
My advice is to find the right medical specialist who deals specifically with what is causing your fatigue and depression. Understand that no doctor can be a specialist in everything and that the medicine, treatment and care for someone with schizophrenia would be completely different from that required to treat someone with substance abuse or a viral infection. The specialist would be just as different.
It is also vitally important for those affected and their caregivers to know that there is a small window of opportunity to control diseases such as these. That is, from my observation and experience, the more time passes without proper diagnosis and treatment, the more difficult it is and the less likely it is that recovery can be achieved.
Chronic depression and fatigue are not something one chooses to have and treatments like “Hold on soldier!” or love deprivation do not work. Ignoring it works even less.
The bottom line:
The causes of your depression and fatigue can be many things. You need to line up with the right specialist, the right medication, and the right treatment as soon as possible!
The good news? You can recover from it and you can triumph over it! I am living proof.