Another theme that emerged strongly was that achieving diagnosis and acknowledgement requires tremendous amounts of "hard work" by patients. Blood donation
In 2010, several national blood banks adopted measures to discourage or prohibit individuals diagnosed with CFS from donating blood, based on concern following the 2009 claim of a link, between CFS and a retrovirus which was subsequently shown to be unfounded. Organizations adopting these or similar measures included the Canadian Blood Services, the New Zealand Blood Service, the Australian Red Cross Blood Service and the American Association of Blood Banks, In November 2010, the UK National Blood Service introduced a permanent deferral of donation from ME/CFS patients based on the potential harm to those patients that may result from their giving blood. Donation policy in the UK now states, "The condition is relapsing by nature and donation may make symptoms worse, or provoke a relapse in an affected individual." Controversy
Much contention has arisen over the cause, pathophysiology, nomenclature, and diagnostic criteria of CFS. Historically, many professionals within the medical community were unfamiliar with CFS, or did not recognize it as a real condition; nor did agreement exist on its prevalence or seriousness. Some people with CFS reject any psychological component.In 1970, two British psychiatrists, McEvedy and Beard, reviewed the case notes of 15 outbreaks of benign myalgic encephalomyelitis and concluded that it was caused by mass hysteria on the part of patients, or altered medical perception of the attending physicians.
The day is observed so that stakeholders have an occasion to improve the knowledge of "the public, policymakers, and health-care professionals about the symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of ME/CFS, as well as the need for a better understanding of this complex illness." It was chosen because it is the birthday of Florence Nightingale, who had an illness appearing similar to ME/CFS or fibromyalgia. Doctor–patient relations
Some in the medical community do not recognize CFS as a real condition, nor does agreement exist on its prevalence. There has been much disagreement over proposed causes, diagnosis, and treatment of the illness. This uncertainty can significantly affect doctor-patient relations. A 2006 survey of GPs in southwest England found that despite more than two-thirds of them accepting CFS/ME as a recognizable clinical entity, nearly half did not feel confident with making the diagnosis and/or treating the disease. Three other key factors that were significantly, positively associated with GPs attitudes were knowing someone socially with CFS/ME, being male, and seeing more patients with the condition in the last year.From the patient perspective, one 1997 study found that 77% of individuals with CFS reported negative experiences with health-care providers. In a more recent metaanalysis of qualitative studies, a major theme identified in patient discourses was that they felt severely ill, yet were blamed and dismissed. A study of themes in patient newsgroup postings noted key themes relating to denial of social recognition of suffering and feelings of being accused of "simply faking it".