The Institute of Stress Medicine has followed up patients who have received treatment for fatigue syndrome.
The vast majority of those who responded after seven years had residual symptoms such as decreased stress tolerance and extreme fatigue.
Just over one in six considered themselves completely restored.
- Once you have developed fatigue syndrome, it is unfortunately a disease that takes a long time to recover from, says Kristina Glise, chief physician and researcher at the Institute of Stress Medicine.
Third still sick
163 patients were also called in for a study 7-12 years after their first visit to the Institute of Stress Medicine.
One third of them were still judged to have fatigue syndrome.
- They had a milder disease than they had initially, but they still met the criteria for the diagnosis.
Despite that, they managed to fix their jobs, thanks to the fact that they are motivated and diligent and that they have employers who help with adjustments, says Kristina Glise.
Get sick leave
The majority of patients, 87 percent, were no longer on sick leave after seven years.
Many of the patients had tried to find solutions through adapted working hours and tasks together with the employer.
- A collaboration between healthcare, the patient and the employer is extremely important for us to succeed in getting as many people as possible back into working life again, she says.