Abstract: Objective To observe the difference among the patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), mild-to-moderate depression or anxiety disorders in symptoms of fatigue, depression and anxiety. Methods Fatigue Scale-14 (FS-14), Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD) and Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety (HAMA) were used to evaluate 182 cases with CFS, mild-to-moderate depression or anxiety disorders. Results There was no significant difference in physical fatigue, mental fatigue and comprehensive fatigue among 3 groups (P>0.05). There were 39 (62.9%) CFS patients perhaps with depression symptoms and 23 (37.1%) patients with mild-to-moderate depression symptoms. There were 46 (74.2%) CFS patients perhaps with anxiety symptoms and 16 (25.8%) patients with mild-to-moderate anxiety symptoms. The score of HAMD was significant lower in the CFS group than in the mild-to-moderate depression disorder group (P<0.001). There were significant differences in the anxiety/somatization and hysteresis (P<0.01), as well as in cognitive disturbance, diurnal variation and hopelessness (P<0.05) between the CFS group and mild-to-moderate depression disorder group. The scores of HAMA was significant lower in the CFS group than in the mild-to- moderate anxiety disorder group (P<0.001). There was significant difference in mental-anxiety (P<0.01), as well as in body-anxiety (P<0.05) between the CFS group and the mild-to-moderate anxiety disorder group. Conclusion The symptoms of emotion disorders and fatigue symptoms were both presented in patients with CFS, mild-to-moderate depression and
anxiety disorders. They share common clinical features.

Key words: chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, anxiety, fatigue