Posted by Aaron on December 23, 1998 at 01:07:08:
In Reply to: What to do? posted by Milly on December 19, 1998 at 11:08:27:
[The following response is off-topic for this board, but I decided to post it anyway since you didn't provide your e-mail address.]
An alarm bell went off in my head when you mentioned that your friend has chronic fatigue syndrome -- that kind of illness can really screw with your mind. I don't want to discount the value of a psychological approach, but it may be very difficult for you to maintain a harmonious relationship with your friend while the side-effects her illness remain untreated (exhaustion alone is sufficient to distort one's feelings). I remember a period in school when I was extremely tired and stressed all the time; I caught myself thinking dark thoughts about my closest friends. Fortunately, I was aware that these thoughts were irrational, and did not allow them to influence my external behaviour.
Diet is one important factor that influences your psychology, as I well know from personal experience. Many CFS sufferers eat a diet that is severely unsuited to their metabolism. Chronic illness is usually accompanied by multiple allergies; allergies can trigger virtually any side-effect you can imagine, including tiredness, brain fog, anxiety, itchiness, and digestive problems. (A friend of mine becomes severely schizophrenic if he accidentally ingests oats.) And, of course, the long-term accumulation of stress (of any kind) can take its toll.
The best resource I've found for treating chronic illness is Dr. Stoll's website (http://bcn.net/~stoll), particularly his bulletin board (link provided below). Dr. Stoll and Robert McFerran both provide invaluable advice.
I apologize for posting this extremely off-topic reply, but I believe that the effect of physical health on psychology is frequently overlooked.
Cheers,
-- Aaron