Bateman Horne Center (BHC), our clinical core in Salt Lake City, UT, recently posted an article about how patients suffering from ME/CFS and Fibromyalgia often experience social isolation and profound loneliness, which are detrimental to physical, mental, and emotional well-being. One of the best strategies to combat loneliness is to attend support groups, which give participants a community they can depend on for emotional support and understanding.

BHC offers two support groups each week with psychologist Liz Sherlock, PhD in Salt Lake City, with one geared towards patients and the other for caretakers. However, in-person meetings are not always feasible for patients and caretakers to attend, so the article also gives guidance about what criteria someone should use to choose an online support group. Many online support groups are a great alternative to in-person groups, and will also provide people with much-needed support, understanding, and coping strategies.

To read the article and see a list of online support groups on BHC’s website, click here.