Adolescence and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Journeys with the Dragon

How thorough is your understanding of ME/CFS?Adolescence and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Journeys with the Dragon examines the firsthand experiences of four young women stricken with this stigmatized chronic illness and offers advice and support for the victims, as well as for their family and friends. The book focuses on the ways they cope with a stigmatizing chronic illness during adolescence and the impact it has on their lives. It offers a personal “guide to survival” that will appeal to adolescent patients and parents, and it provides a window into the psychosocial implications of illness that is well-suited to professionals.Providing a description of symptoms that vary in intensity every day, such as fatigue, migraine headaches, muscle pain and/or weakness, cognitive dysfunction, and more, this valuable book also gives suggestions on how to cope with this disease as it looks at these patients’experiences from a psychological perspective. You will find reassurance, support, and an increase in knowledge as you become familiar with ME/CFS, and you will learn how real people are living with and managing this illness with strength and courage. Comprehensive and compelling, Adolescence and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome will appeal both to experts and novices. A chronology of the participants’experiences in their own words is followed by scientific discussion of an inductively derived theory that applies to that patient.Some of the areas that Adolescence and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome focuses on are: the role of stigma for patients and their families family interaction chronic illness management peer concerns development of the self interaction with broader institutions such as medical, educational, and insurance/government disability programsAdolescence and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome also addresses issues and topics that need to be explored in the future in order to help individuals and families lead easier and more independent lives.