In the history of medicine, there were numerous treatments for mental illnesses that were based on various concepts of how a human body works. One such concept is the rest therapy proposed by Silas Mitchell in the nineteenth century that was used in the treatment of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) (Chung & Hyland, 2012). Historically, it appears to be a common-sense therapy that was created under an assumption of a physical deficiency. In this paper, the “rest cure” will be analyzed through the lens of modern psychopathology.
It may seem logical that a person who experiences constant fatigue needs to rest. However, the modern cognitive-based therapy (CBT), which is an evidence-based approach to treating CFS, reveals a fallacy in this trail of thoughts that leads to promoting unhealthy attitudes (Loades et al., 2020). Resting is a vital factor in treating CFS, yet it is only a part of this process. Instead of letting a patient rest at will, their behavior needs to be maintained between appropriate levels of activity and limited breaks that will gradually decrease as symptoms of CFS diminish (Loades et al., 2020). Otherwise, resting will only endorse unhealthy views on self and increase the chances of comorbidities, both physical and mental.
In conclusion, the “rest cure” proposed by Mitchell is not based on evidence but rather on common sense and appears to have a detrimental effect on patients with CFS. Leaving a patient with CFS to rest is not an entirely invalid strategy, yet these breaks must be strictly controlled to remain within reasonable limits. CBT suggests that it is unhelpful for specialists to support unhealthy behaviors that do not assist a patient to achieve the best possible state of well-being.
References
Chung, M. C., & Hyland, M. E. (2012). History and philosophy of psychology. John Wiley & Sons.
Loades, M. E., Stallard, P., Morris, R., Kessler, D., & Crawley, E. (2020). Do adolescents with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS/ME) and co-morbid anxiety and/or depressive symptoms think differently to those who do not have co-morbid psychopathology? Journal of Affective Disorders, 274, 752-758. Web.