THE DIFFERENTIAL RESPONSE OF CHRONIC FATIGUE, NEUROTIC AND MUSCULAR-DYSTROPHY PATIENTS TO EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS

A group of patients suffering from chronic fatigue (CF) attending a me dical clinic were compared with a group of muscular dystrophy (MD) pat ients from the same clinic and a psychiatric control (PC) group who we re attending a psychiatric unit. A checklist was used to assess the pa tients' subjective physical and psychological state before and after e xposure to a psychological stressor. For both physical and psychologic al symptoms the CF group had the largest response, the PC group was in termediate, and the MD group had the least response. Explanations may involve physiological arousal and attentional focusing.