‘Sometimes it feels as if the world goes on without me’: adolescents' experiences of living with chronic fatigue syndrome

Aims and objectives To explore the experience of being an adolescent with chronic fatigue syndrome. Background Despite ample research, chronic fatigue syndrome is still poorly understood, and there are still controversies related to the illness. Adolescents with chronic fatigue syndrome are often unable to attend school and lose social relations with friends. The challenges they face will affect their quality of life. Design A qualitative, phenomenological hermeneutical design. Method Six boys and twelve girls, aged 12–18, were interviewed, emphasising their own experiences living with chronic fatigue syndrome. Analyses were performed using a phenomenological hermeneutical method. Results T…