Making A Diagnosis - When To See A Doctor: Chronic Fatigue

Content provided by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School

Making a diagnosis

Diagnosing the cause of fatigue really amounts to a process of elimination. One by one, your doctor will review the evidence about you — your symptoms, your physical examination, and the results of your tests — and compare this evidence to the possible causes. Diseases and conditions that do not fit your case will be discarded, and further testing may be done to examine the diseases that might fit your case. Your primary care physician can easily treat some conditions, such as anemia and diabetes. Others will require the care of a specialist, for example, a psychiatrist for depression or a cardiologist for heart disease.

For most people suffering from fatigue, however, a firm diagnosis can't be made. In such cases, persistent fatigue may be due not to an illness, but rather to some aspect of a person's daily life — stress, overwork, poor sleep habits, overeating, and so on. There are often several interrelated reasons for the fatigue. For example, many people with CFS also have sleep disorders. People who are overworked or under stress may also suffer from insomnia. No matter which constellation of causes is the root of your problem, there are treatments and practical strategies that can help restore your energy.

Last updated:	January 23, 2007