Journal of IiMER Volume 10 Issue 1 in people with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Risk factors and protection” (2016). The results of this research study are highly worrisome. The high level of risk of suicide, depression and hopelessness in these patients is much higher than in the rest of the Spanish population due to, mostly, the lack of relevant health care services. STUDY AND RESULTS Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) is one of the Central Sensitivity Syndromes (CSS). Although there are still some questions regarding its etiology, the research done up to now attributes it to a significant alteration in the Central Nervous System which affects the immune and the endocrine systems. This produces severe symptoms of fatigue that is not solved by resting, immune dysfunction, cognitive problems, inflammations, and many more organic alterations. Due to these dysfunctions and symptoms, PWME’s lives are severely disrupted. All activities of daily life are affected. Many studies, including this one by Jimenez-Ortiz, show that the effects of this illness as well as the institutional abandonment (health care and social care), added to the losses that such an illness produces (work, family and social relations) are related to depression, hopelessness and risk of suicide. June 2016 The objectives of this study by JimenezOrtiz were the following: To measure the incidence of depression, hopelessness and risk of suicide in a sample of Spanish PWME. To identify which sociodemographic variables or circumstances were related to suffering depression, hopelessness and risk of suicide. Concretize which variables could be modified to reduce the incidence of depression, hopelessness and risk of suicide. Propose a model of probability of depression, hopelessness and risk of suicide amongst PWME. Jimenez-Ortiz proposed the following hypothesis: There is an incidence amongst PWME higher than the rest of the population of depression, hopelessness and risk of suicide. There is significant sociodemographic and clinical data (circumstances) regarding depression, hopelessness and risk of suicide amongst PWME. There are variables which can affect in a positive manner these circumstances. In this study, 205 Spanish people participated, all of them diagnosed with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, 187 women and 18 men, between 27 and 71 years of age. The participants were from the following Spanish Regions: 7 from Andalucia, 1 from Aragon, 1 from Asturias, 5 from the Canary Islands, 4 from Castilla La Mancha, 15 from Castilla y Leon, 102 Invest in ME (Charity Nr. 1114035) www.investinme.org Page 31 of 77
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