ME/ CFS and Depression
And Mental Health

I Had ME/ CFS And Depression

When I got ill with CFS/ME, I was not initially diagnosed. At the time, I seemed to get every illness going. My Doctor was very sympathetic and would tell me to come back in two weeks. She would treat the next thing. But she never investigated for an underlying cause!

I was very distressed. I was frightened of what was happening to my body, and frightened by the fearful responses of those close to me. I had depression. Because of these things I sought help in the form of counselling.

But counselling didn't help me because the counselling wasn't addressing the real problem - my physical health.

I didn't care whether I had a mental illness or physical illness. I just wanted help. I went to see a psychiatrist who told me that I was too rational to have a mental illness. And so, I started the journey out of denial into accepting I was physical ill, even though at the time I had no diagnosis.

In the years that followed, I was diagnosed with M.E. and CFS by a number of Doctors. I had blood tests and a brain scan that showed abnormalities. Tests for allergies suggested that I was sensitive to a large range of foods.

As I took supplements and learned to rest, I started to see improvements in both the ME / CFS and depression. But the depression was with me for all the years of chronic illness. It left only when the physical symptoms improved.

It Is So Important To Know Whether The Cause Of Your Mental Distress Is Physical Or Mental Illness. Both Are OK.

In the book Grace and Grit by Ken Wilber, he recounts a story which is very relevant to how to treat CFS and depression:

Health Book Reviews Both Ken Wilber and his wife Treya are suffering from depression. Ken gets diagnosed with a CFS/M.E. type illness (Disease X, identified by Dr Paul Cheney). He starts to rest and both the CFS and depression are helped. Treya – who has cancer – understands that she is suffering mental illness /distress in dealing with the cancer, the cancer-treatment and the effect of her illness on her husband. She starts to exercise more and becomes more life-focused. They both recover from the depression.

Grace And Grit is a book that follows Ken's journey as he finds his new wife is suffering with Cancer. It goes with them through the trials of treatment and the strains on their relationship. Along the way Ken - one of the most famous modern day philosophers - also puts forwards his and his wife's ideas on belief in God, and on using spirituality in recovery and in life in general.

A good friend found she skipped the sometimes academic discussions of belief and loved it for the exploration of their relationship.

I loved both aspects of the book.

To buy Grace And Grit from Amazon USA click on the book cover on the right.

Or click here to see all my favourite books on the spiritual journey, and other subjects.

For those in the UK, click to find the book in
my Amazon UK bookshop: Spiritual Journey Books
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In order to know how to treat depression it is so important to know whether the cause of your mental distress is physical or mental illness.
Both are OK.
You are the best judge of which one applies to you. Work on that one first. If need be, work on the other issue later.

You Can Suffer With Both ME/ CFS And Mental Health Issues

One of the many unfortunate repercussions of the ridiculous discussion about whether M.E./ CFS is a physical illness or a mental illness is that many who are suffering from depression and other mental distress do not feel able to ask for appropriate help. I know that when I had little speech or energy the last thing I needed for my sanity was someone telling me I was not ill, and so I could not risk talking to many people.

On one occasion when I did ask the council for help, they told me that since I was not mentally ill, and was not about to cut my wrists, I was not entitled to help. I was pleased to be told I was not mentally ill, but badly needed some emotional support at the time.

This site is a place where it is understood that you can suffer with both ME CFS and depression or mental health issues.

Even more importantly, when you are ill you are often dealing with so many stresses in your life that it is natural to need mental and emotional support to cope with the physical difficulties.

The need for support and even the feeling that you are going mad, doesn't mean that you have a mental illness. Chances are that you are showing huge mental strength every day of your life.

Read more about feeling depression and grief over loss of health. There are 7 stages of grief we go through when we become ill. One of the ways we can use spirituality in recovery is to use our spiritual belief in a Loving God to move us more quickly through these stages towards acceptance.

Research into how our thoughts and feelings effect the immune system and can change our physical health.

A page on Christian Scriptures on Healing - I Choose Life

Pscychology Self Help In A Time of Chronic Illness


Move from ME CFS And Depression to the home page - How To Explore Our Spirituality