The Impact of Chronic Fatigue on Psychopathology in Outpatient Physiotherapy Patients.

INTRODUCTION

Chronic fatigue is a debilitating condition marked by physical and mental exhaustion, frequently co-occurring with psychiatric disorders such as depression and anxiety.

METHODS

In a cross-sectional study, 172 consecutive patients from a busy physiotherapy clinic were assessed using the Fatigue Assessment Scale (FAS) for physical and mental fatigue and the SCL-90 for various psychological symptoms, with correlation analyses exploring relationships between fatigue severity, psychological distress and demographic factors.

RESULTS

Most participants reported clinically significant fatigue, with 90.69% experiencing physical fatigue and 76.77% experiencing mental fatigue. Paranoid ideation (61.05%) and obsessive-compulsiveness (59.88%) were common. Strong correlations were found between overall fatigue and psychological distress (r = 0.675, p < 0.001), especially between mental fatigue and depression (r = 0.699, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Overall, the findings underscore the need for integrated multidisciplinary interventions to address both chronic fatigue and its related psychiatric symptoms.