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| Multiple Sclerosis Symptom Checker |
- Emotional responses, including the more common reactions people experience to the diagnosis and to life with MS;
- Emotional changes, which encompass some of the more complex emotional experiences that are possible in MS; and
- Cognitive changes, including problems with memory, reasoning, concentration, planning and problem-solving, which can be caused by MS.
The goals are to add to your understanding of these emotional and cognitive issues and their impact on family life, as well as to provide some concrete suggestions for undertaking positive change.
Emotional Responses to MS
MS IS A COMPLEX and unpredictable disease. Because no two people are psychologically identical, or experience MS in exactly the same way, each person's reaction to the disease will be unique. Although some of the early research in MS attempted to identify an "MS personality" that would predispose certain individuals to the disease or cause all people who have the disease to act in a certain way, it has been repeatedly demonstrated that no such personality type exists. A person's pre-MS personality, good or bad as it may be, is the same personality he or she will have after MS. And it is with this individual personality, and all its diverse traits, that a person will respond and react to the MS experience.
Some of the prior work in MS also described "stages" that people supposedly go through in their efforts to adjust to the disease. These "stage" models have typically been borrowed from cancer research and do not apply very well to chronic disease.
MS is an uninvited and unwanted guest in people's lives that does not go away. As a result, the person with MS does not go through a definite, orderly set of stages culminating in adjustment. Rather, adjustment is an ongoing, lifelong process that ebbs and flows with the unpredictable changes brought about by the disease.
Because each individual has a unique style and personal rhythm, which in large part determines how he or she will adjust, it is not particularly surprising that the process of adjustment seems to be more successful and comfortable for some than for others. Let us look at some of the emotional issues that arise as people try to incorporate MS into their lives.
Uncertainty And Anxiety
UNCERTAINTY AND ANXIETY set in as soon as the first symptoms appear. MS can begin in a variety of ways, perhaps with a strange tingling sensation or numbness, sudden loss of vision, or unexplained weakness. Uncertainty surrounds these upsetting and unexplained symptoms. "Is it a brain tumor?" "Am I going crazy?" In some cases, the uncertainty drags on for some time until a diagnosis is finally established. Many people actually experience a brief sense of relief when the diagnosis of MS is confirmed.
They are not happy about having the disease, but they are relieved to finally have an answer. In fact, in one study that looked at the diagnostic process in MS, the most anxious and unhappy patients following the diagnostic workup were those for whom no specific diagnosis could be confirmed.
Uncertainty does not evaporate with a confirmed diagnosis, however. Because the disease is unpredictable, people with MS are called upon to adjust to a lifetime of uncertainty about their health. They often do not know how they are going to feel or function tomorrow or next week, let alone several years down the road. In addition, there is uncertainty associated with the disease-modifying therapies that are recommended for relapsing forms of MS. These medications have been shown to reduce the number and severity of attacks and may slow disease progression; they are not, however, designed to reduce symptoms or make people feel better. Because of the way these medications function in the body, it is virtually impossible for any one individual to know the degree to which the disease-modifying medication is "working" at any given time. This much uncertainty can lead to a constant state of anxiety.
The effects of uncertainty and its attendant anxiety can include anger and irritability, indecision, difficulty in planning, feelings of helplessness, and pessimism about the future. Family members inevitably share in these feelings. As a result, all family members may find themselves looking for "anchors" - ways to reduce uncertainty and increase a sense of security and stability within the household. To find out more, you can check out Multiple Sclerosis Symptom Checker.