Resource to Measure & Track Illness Severity & Disability - Bells Severity Scale

The different severities of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) are:

Mild,

Moderate,

Severe,

Very Severe,

Profound.

These are general categories which really have ranges within themselves i.e. Mild has its own range, as does Moderate and so on.

ME affects men, women and children of all ages, ethnicities, and socioeconomic backgrounds. 75-80% of people with the condition are female. Around 25% of people with ME experience severe/very severe/profound/ symptoms.

A good scale that could be used along with the categories Mild, Moderate, Severe, Very Severe, Profound, to determine near exact range, is the Bell's Disability Scale. Different people suffer in different ways but the scale gives an idea of the level of disability. It may be the case that it doesn't reflect your severity exactly but it is a useful tool for some patients to get across the extent of their ME severity to medics & others. See image in comments.

• It can be used by both Patient and Doctor to monitor progress/relapses of ME over time.

• Tick which descriptor best describes you today.

See link to Bells Disability Scale here