Living with M.E.

Why I'm eligible for the free flu jab

Given that M.E. is a neurological condition, people with M.E. should be eligible for a free winter flu jab according to government guidance. However, this isn’t quite as straightforward as it should be, and we do hear from people whose GPs consider them not eligible. We have produced a resource (updated November 2021) you can share with your health professional about this, which also signposts to further information for doctors, including an online learning module about M.E.

Priority for the Covid-19 booster

This Action for M.E. template letter/email sets out why people with M.E. should be a priority for the Covid-19 booster. We would encourage you to edit it to add your own voice for the best chance of a personalised response, and please let us know how you get on.

Assessing people with M.E. under the Mental Health Act

M.E. is not a mental health condition, and so should not be used as the basis for detention under the Mental Health Act. However, a small minority of people with M.E. are being considered for assessment for detention under the Mental Health Act, or being detained, each year. This factsheet explains what assessment and detention involves, and what your rights are if detained, if you are an adult living in England and Wales.

Taming the gorilla: a guide to living and learning with M.E.

This guide is based on workshops and conversations with 16 people, who between them have more than 100 years of combined experience of living with mild, moderate and severe M.E., and whose stories are woven throughout. All took part in Action for M.E.’s Living and learning with M.E. project in Scotland in 2016.

Nothing about M.E. without me

It's vital that people with M.E. to have their own voices heard, in order to represent their needs for care and support. We’ve created this self-advocacy resource to support you to understand your rights, identify the issue and how it is affecting you, and set out your goals and the actions needed to achieve them, with guidance on effective communication.

M.E. and work

This resource aims to offer key information and signposting for people with M.E. who are in work, considering work in the future or actively seeking work now. We know that, for others, working or training is sadly not an option. Action for M.E. continues to support these individuals through our other support services.

Newly diagnosed with M.E.

Healthcare professionals and people with M.E. alike tell us they would like more information and support about the diagnosis, symptoms and management of M.E. This resource, which references the 2021 NICE guideline for M.E., is intended to do just that.

Useful resources