SynthesisBMJ open2016
Treatment for paediatric chronic fatigue syndrome or myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) and comorbid depression: a systematic review.
Synthesis in BMJ open, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 21 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- Multiple voxel pattern analysis shows associations between chronic fatigue syndrome and cortical atrophy.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2025Article
- Decellularization of various tissues and organs through chemical methods.Tissue & cell · 2024Review
- One-year follow-up of young people with ME/CFS following infectious mononucleosis by Epstein-Barr virus.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2023Article
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) in Adolescents: Practical Guidance and Management Challenges.Adolescent health, medicine and therapeutics · 2023Review
- Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS): An Overview.Journal of clinical medicine · 2021Review
- Exploring anhedonia in adolescents with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS): A mixed-methods study.Clinical child psychology and psychiatry · 2021Article
- Psychological and demographic factors associated with fatigue and social adjustment in young people with severe chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis: a preliminary mixed-methods study.Journal of behavioral medicine · 2019Article
- Depressive symptoms in adolescents with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS): Are rates higher than in controls and do depressive symptoms affect outcome?Clinical child psychology and psychiatry · 2019Article
- Practical management of chronic fatigue syndrome or myalgic encephalomyelitis in childhood.Archives of disease in childhood · 2017Review
- Current treatment approaches for paediatric CFS/ME.Paediatrics and child health · 2017Article
- Same, Same But Different? Cognitive Behavioural Treatment Approaches for Paediatric CFS/ME and Depression.Behavioural and cognitive psychotherapy · 2017Article
- Pediatric chronic fatigue syndrome: current perspectives.Pediatric health, medicine and therapeutics · 2017Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesAt least 30% of young people with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) also have symptoms of depression. This systematic review aimed to establish which treatment approaches for depression are effective and whether comorbid depression mediates outcome.
settingA systematic review was undertaken. The search terms were entered into MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycInfo and the Cochrane library.
participantsInclusion and exclusion criteria were applied to identify relevant papers. Inclusion criteria were children age <18, with CFS/ME, defined using CDC, NICE or Oxford criteria, and having completed a valid assessment for depression.
results9 studies were identified which met the inclusion criteria, but none specifically tested treatments for paediatric CFS/ME with depression and none stratified outcome for those who were depressed compared with those who were not depressed. There is no consistent treatment approach for children with CFS/ME and comorbid depression, although cognitive-behavioural therapy for CFS/ME and a multicomponent inpatient programme for CFS/ME have shown some promise in reducing depressive symptoms. An antiviral medication in a small scale, retrospective, uncontrolled study suggested possible benefit.
conclusionsIt is not possible to determine what treatment approaches are effective for depression in paediatric CFS/ME, nor to determine the impact of depression on the outcome of CFS/ME treatment. Young people with significant depression tend to have been excluded from previous treatment studies.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.