Review
"Highly recommended for all academic, medical , and hospital libraries as well as all who are concerned with this complex disease." (
Medical Reference Services Quarterly, Vol.23, No.3; Fall 2004)
“…will provide a useful resource for those working with CFS patients” (Psychological Medicine, Vol.34, 2004)
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a debilitating disease whose "cause and pathophysiology…remain unknow." The editors of this handbook, Jason (director, Ctr. For Community Research, DePaul Univ.), Patricia Fennell (CEO, Albany Health Management), and Renee Taylor (occupational therapy, Univ. of Illinois, Chicago) have worked in the SCF field since the 1980s and have published extensively in the medical literature. Here, they have assembled entries on CFS by over 50 international contributors, including physicians, researchers, and psychologists affiliated with such diverse institutions as they University of Miami School of Medicine, Glaxo Wellcome, and the Institute of Psychiatry in London, Aimed at clinicians, researchers, allied health professionals, and counselors, the handbook covers an enormous number of topics, including diagnosis, genetics, social effects, family systems, sleep disorders, rehabilitation counseling, stress, exercise therapy, and pediatric issues. The chapter "Social Effects of Chronic Disorders" contains virtually the only case studies in the text. There are several dozen black-and-white charts, fi gures and tables, ranging from "Nutritional Supplementations for CFS" to a cognitive-behavioral therapy outline of treatment. It should be noted that this books does not cover post-polio fatigue, and there is just one chapter on fibromyalgia as it relates to CFS. There are author and subject indexes, and every chapter ends with a lengthy, up-to-date bibliography. Most references are from major medical, social science, and allied health journals. Less scientifically oriented than Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Biological Approach, edited by Patrick Englebienne and Kenny Demeirleir, this is a reasonably priced textbook from a reputable publisher and is suitable for medical, academic, and hospital libraries lacking current nonconsumer titles on the topic. —Martha E. Stone, Massachusetts General Hosp. Lib., Boston. (Library Journal, November 1, 2003)
Written by a virtual Who’s Who of CFIDS researchers, clinicians and patients, the Handbook touches on every aspect of the CIFDS experience—from assessment, treatment and symptomatology to patient perspectives. While it does not break new ground in terms of research or patient care, the book serves as a comprehensive primer. Although it’s written with health-care professionals in mind, astute lay readers should find the Handbook an enlightening guide. (The CIFDS Chronicle, Fall, 2003 (Volume 16, number 4, page 23)
"...a thorough guide to the issues facing health-care providers...helps to give a comprehensive understanding of the major issues..." (IJTR Books, Vol 11(2), 2004)
Review
The Handbook of CFS is a valuable anthology of current thought and research. Its list of contributing authors reads like a "Who?s Who" in the CFS field and the bibliographies that follow each chapter provide ample evidence to diffuse skeptics who doubt that this complex condition is "real." Readers are presented with varied and sometimes contradicting viewpoints held by the contributors, important in a field where conflicting reports are often the result of methodological incongruities.
The Handbook is as important for the context it creates for understanding CFS as it is for its thoroughness and detail. The sections on diagnosis and treatment do a splendid job of illuminating subtleties that can cloud diagnosis and confound treatment. The diversity of disciplines represented ensures that providers have plenty of tools for symptom management, while CFS patients can use the Handbook to gain insight into their illness and develop effective strategies to maximize function and quality of life in the face of a disabling condition.
—K. Kimberly Kenney, President & CEO, The CFIDS Asso ciation of America?
I am confident that many open-minded and intelligent people will read the Handbook and find it an excellent resource. I, for one, have been extremely excited about revamping my approach since reading the Handbook. Believe it or not, I am already seeing some improvement in patients whom I thought were untreatable.
—Charles W. Lapp, M.D., Director, Hunter-Hopkins Center, Charlotte, NC, Assistant Consulting Professor at Duke University Medical Center, Durham NC
The Handbook of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, edited by Leonard A. Jason, Patricia A. Fennell, and Renee R. Taylor, is fairly well written to cover all aspects of CFS...[It] has extensive information and excellent references. It is not only an excellent source of information on CFS, but also an excellent reference book on CFS for individuals who are diagnosing or treating this illness or are planning to enter this field....overall the balance is very fair and comprehensive. In addition, a strength of the book is that it presents a variety of different non-pharmacological intervention approaches, which include the more traditional cognitive behavioral interventions from Europe, to more stress inoculation interventions...cognitive coping efforts...non-aerobic exercise programs...comprehensive rehabilitation approaches...phase based interventions...empowerment oriented approaches... and energy envelope treatment approaches.... In my opinion, the handbook is an excellent reference book for medical libraries, medical schools, practicing physicians, heathcare providers, and others.
—Dharam V. Ablashi, DVM, MS, Dip. Bact., President, American Association for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
I am confident that many open-minded and intelligent people will read the Handbook and find it an excellent resource. I, for one, have been extremely excited about revamping my approach since reading the Handbook. Believe it or not, I am already seeing some improvement in patients whom I thought were untreatable.
—Charles W. Lapp, M.D., Director, Hunter-Hopkins Center, Charlotte, NC, Assistant Consulting Professor at Duke University Medical Center, Durham NC
Aimed at clinicians, researchers, allied health professionals, and counselors, the handbook covers an enormous number of topics, including diagnosis, genetics, social effects, family systems, sleep disorders, rehabilitation counseling, stress, exercise therapy, and pediatric issues....[T]his is a reasonably priced textbook from a reputable publisher and is suitable for medical, academic, and hospital libraries lacking current nonconsumer titles on the topic.
—Martha E. Stone, Massachusetts General Hosp. Lib., Boston for Library Journal
