ALPIMS · Complex & overlapping needs
ALPIMS & complex conditions.
Make room for the whole picture. Find care and practical support that fit your needs and capacity.
Explore what may help ↓
General education, not a diagnostic test. Open one section at a time.
What do we mean by complex conditions? One condition can be complex; several can add overlapping needs.
Here, “complex” describes a care situation, not a formal diagnostic category. A person may have one illness affecting several systems, multiple conditions, fluctuating disability or treatments that need careful coordination.
Complexity can also come from sensory demands, limited energy, communication barriers, practical dependence or difficulty accessing care. It does not mean someone is difficult, exaggerating or beyond help.
Chronic migraine, ME/CFS, Long COVID, POTS, connective-tissue disorders and other conditions may create complex needs. Autism and ADHD are neurodevelopmental differences that can affect how care and support should be provided.
What does ALPIMS add? A way to organise needs and practical connections.
ALPIMS explores six domains: Anxiety & Autonomic; Laxity & Connective Tissue; Pain & Bodily Sensitivity; Immune & Inflammatory; Mood & Mental Health; Sensory & Neurodevelopmental.
Use the domains as a map: “What needs attention? What already helps? What needs assessment?” A person does not need difficulties in every domain to use ALPIMS.
ALPIMS is an organising framework. It is not a recognised medical diagnosis, a validated diagnostic tool or evidence that all these experiences share one cause.
Explore the ALPIMS domains — Coming soonWhy might needs overlap? Separate conditions, shared symptoms and effects on daily life.
Different conditions can produce similar symptoms. Fatigue, poor concentration or sleep problems may have several contributors; their presence alone cannot identify the cause.
Some diagnoses have documented associations, while others have uncertain or emerging links. An association does not prove that one condition caused another. Family history, exposures and individual circumstances may be relevant, but do not establish a single explanation.
Needs can also interact in practical ways. Pain may disturb sleep; an appointment may use limited energy; sensory overload may make communication harder. These examples describe possible effects, not a diagnosis or a universal mechanism.
Understanding patterns & overlapping symptoms — Coming soonWhat may help
Tap a coloured section. Choose one small support.
Rest & recovery Make recovery possible.
Create opportunities for comfortable rest and reduce non-essential demands during flares. Put useful supplies within reach and ask for help with basic tasks.
Quick tool: “What can pause? What would make resting easier?”
Make it fit: adapt lighting, noise and positioning. With PEM, recovery may need a substantial reduction in physical and cognitive demands; a new or unusual deterioration still needs assessment.
Rest & flare recovery — Coming soonReduce load & adapt surroundings Change the demands around the person.
Simplify tasks, reduce unnecessary steps and use practical aids. Consider comfortable seating, tolerated cleaning products, quieter spaces and flexible communication.
Quick tool: “Could this be quieter, shorter, seated or done with help?”
Make it fit: choose supports that suit actual sensory, joint and energy needs. Ask before changing someone’s routines or surroundings.
Reduce load & adapt the environment — Coming soonPace & move as able Match activity to the condition and response.
Plan manageable tasks and recovery time. Movement or rehabilitation should follow individual assessment and take symptoms into account.
Quick tool: “What can I manage without a delayed setback?”
Make it fit: with ME/CFS or Long COVID and PEM, avoid pushing through crashes or fixed activity increases. For joint instability or standing intolerance, adapt positioning and seek suitable clinical advice. Any expansion is optional and responsive to capacity.
Pacing, movement & PEM-aware planning — Coming soonSleep, food & daily needs Support the basics in manageable ways.
Use easy meals, accessible drinks and a reasonably predictable rhythm where possible. Ask for assessment of persistent sleep problems or nutritional concerns.
Quick tool: “Food? Fluids? Toilet? Comfort? Help?”
Make it fit: respect prescribed diets and individual fluid advice. Avoid unnecessary restrictions. Limited food choices, allergies or intolerance may need dietitian support.
Daily living with complex needs — Coming soonRegulation & emotional support Support coping and comfort.
Gentle grounding, a supportive conversation or adapted DBT skills may help distress. Choose approaches that feel tolerable and require little effort.
Quick tool: “What would make this moment less demanding?”
Make it fit: skip intense exercise, breath holding or extreme cold when unsuitable. Use external grounding if body attention is distressing. These tools support coping; they do not establish a psychological cause or replace condition-specific treatment.
Gentle regulation & adapted DBT tools — Coming soonHealthcare & practical support Build a plan around your priorities.
Ask for a clinician to help coordinate care where possible. Agree priorities, treatment goals, follow-up and who to contact when symptoms change.
Quick tool: “My main concern / what it stops me doing / what help I need.”
Make it fit: request written instructions, processing time, breaks or remote appointments when appropriate. Include help with transport, meals, personal care or participation if needed.
My coordinated care & support plan — Coming soonOne support may help several needs Practical benefits without claiming one cure.
A quieter resting space might support sensory comfort and make a migraine attack easier to manage. Seated meal preparation might reduce standing demands and make food more accessible. Written instructions might help brain fog, anxiety about forgetting and communication.
These are practical examples, not promises of treatment benefit. Some supports help comfort or participation without changing the underlying condition. Review what actually helps the individual.
Physical symptoms, anxiety & trauma Assess overlapping experiences without assumptions.
Palpitations, breathlessness, dizziness, poor sleep and concentration problems can occur in physical illness and mental health conditions. Anxiety or trauma-related difficulties may coexist with bodily illness.
Symptoms repeatedly worse upright may warrant assessment for orthostatic intolerance. A delayed crash after modest exertion may warrant assessment for PEM. Trauma-related re-experiencing and avoidance of reminders need their own assessment.
One diagnosis should not automatically explain every symptom. Normal routine tests do not rule out every physical condition. Equally, physical illness does not remove the value of appropriate mental health care.
Pacing and sensory protection should not automatically be labelled fear-based avoidance. Therapy and activity plans need to consider physical limits, including PEM.
Bodily symptoms, anxiety & trauma overlap — Coming soonA small map for a complicated picture Keep confirmed facts separate from questions.
1. Known: confirmed diagnoses, medicines and established treatment plans.
2. Noticed: symptoms, their timing and how they affect daily life.
3. To discuss: possible contributors or assessments—not diagnoses you must prove yourself.
4. Helpful: supports that improve comfort, function or participation.
You can record only one line in each category. A family member or support person can help with your permission. Extensive tracking is not required.
My simple care & support map — Coming soonTreatments need to fit the whole person Consider benefits, side effects and treatment burden.
Keep an up-to-date medicine list, including supplements. Ask a clinician or pharmacist to review interactions, side effects and duplicated treatments. Do not stop or change prescribed medicines using this page.
A plan for one condition may need adjustment for another. Activity advice needs to consider PEM; fluid or salt advice needs to consider other medical conditions. Appointment frequency and complex routines can themselves become burdensome.
Ask: “What is this treating? What benefit is realistic? What might worsen? Can the plan be simpler? When will we review?”
Families & supporters Shared understanding, individual needs and respectful help.
Family members may have different capacities and sensory preferences. Agree on practical help, recovery time and a manageable way to make shared decisions.
Quick tool: “What matters to you? What can you manage? What help would you like?”
Preserve choice and participation. Support should make life easier while respecting consent, privacy and boundaries. Revisit plans when capacity changes rather than assuming everyone has the same needs.
Supporting families with overlapping needs — Coming soonDo not assume every change belongs to an existing diagnosis. Call 000 in Australia for severe breathing difficulty, severe new chest pain, stroke signs or loss of consciousness. Seek medical advice for significant new or worsening symptoms.
Resources & disclaimer Clinical guidance alongside ALPIMS suggestions.
This page provides general education and does not diagnose conditions or replace individual clinical advice. ALPIMS prompts and support examples are suggestions, not validated tests or a proven treatment programme. Evidence differs between specific conditions and associations. Linked organisations do not endorse ALPIMS. This page does not collect personal answers.