Lifestyle Intervention Safety

1 Kindlon 2011 — Reporting of Harms from GET and CBT in ME/CFS

Full Citation:: Kindlon T@. Reporting of harms associated with graded exercise therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome. Bulletin of the IACFS/ME. 2011;19(2):59–111. Key Findings::

- Systematic review of 10 patient surveys from four countries
- 51% of respondents reported GET worsened their health
- 20% reported similar worsening from CBT
- Critical methodological failures in RCTs: adverse events rarely tracked, patient compliance issues, subjective outcome bias

Significance:: Foundational document establishing the evidence base for GET’s harm profile in ME/CFS; directly influenced subsequent NICE guideline revision in 2021 removing GET as a recommended intervention.

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