Awareness among the general public remains low despite over 2.7 million people living with FMS in the UK and over 250 thousand with ME. Fibromyalgia & M.E are commonly disbelieved due to lack of medical diagnostic tests and because the symptoms are not outwardly visible to others. Unfortunately, due to publicity in the 1980's Myalgic Encephomyelitis was wrongly labelled as 'Yuppie Flu' and this caused people to experience stigma including statements like 'It's all in your head'. A devastating thing to hear when you are physically suffering, despite being classified by the World Health Organisation as a neurological illness.

Thankfully, opinions towards ME have slowly changed over the years helping to reduce the stigma to a certain extent, however Fibromyalgia's classification has not been changed and therefore many still experience stigma in this day and age. This is why raising awareness is so important to change people's opinions and to promote understanding within the general public. 

Both conditions are extremely debilitating and the severity of symptoms can be different between individuals living with both conditions on a day to day basis. Pacing is considered best, for someone living with FM or ME otherwise they can push themselves only to crash after the exertion (in particular ME with post exertional malaise) often referred to as the Push & Crash cycle.

Fibromyalgia & ME prognosis seems to be variable with some having periods of remission where the condition seems manageable to some degree. However this scenario is not the case for all living with these conditions as some can be house/bedbound due to the severity of their own particular symptoms and this can be extremely distressing for all those involved.