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There is controversy about the making of psychiatric diagnoses in patients who have a diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome. The scientific controversies concern the purposes of diagnosis for the patient as well as for the doctor, the separation of diagnoses into medical and psychiatric and the intrinsically overlapping nature of symptom defined syndromes. The conflict arises from the practical and moral meaning of diagnoses, especially psychiatric diagnoses. At present the best clinical solution may to be make combined diagnoses such as CFS/depression. However, this apparently small issue should encourage us to ask the bigger question about the nature and purpose of diagnosis. Conflict of interest. None. © Shadowfax Publishing and Taylor & Francis Group Ltd.

Original publication

DOI

10.1080/09638230500136621

Type

Journal article

Journal

Journal of Mental Health

Publication Date

01/06/2005

Volume

14

Pages

269 - 276