Prolonged anxiety and stress is bound to cause depression in people. Any diseases or ailment that has a long-term impact is bound to make a person feel low; similar is in the case of people struggling with symptoms of multiple sclerosis where a period of time a person starts feeling low and experiences mood swings. But on the other hand, multiple sclerosis itself also might cause depression. The disease tends to destroy the protective coating around the nerves that under normal health conditions helps the brain to send signals, ultimately ascertaining the moods of a person.
Additionally, the problem of depression may also occur as a side effect of the medicines that are prescribed to a multiple sclerosis patient, these are drugs like interferon and steroids. Neuro specialist of Delhi and one of the best stroke neurologists of India, Dr P N Renjen, states, “Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) – a chronic, syndromic autoimmune condition of the central nervous system (CNS), are at a higher risk for certain mental health issues, including depression. MS is more often diagnosed in the second and third decade of life and is associated with an increased risk of disability. Approximately every 2nd patient diagnosed with MS is a woman. Treatment includes disease-modifying therapy and, because of the underlying immune-mediated injury to the CNS, symptomatic treatments including conservative, restorative, and pharmacologic therapy.”
Some of the best Neurologists in Delhi NCR state, the comorbid occurrence of psychiatric conditions in patients with MS may be due to several factors, including response to chronic illness, a relationship between immune function and depression and anxiety and possibly side effects of certain treatments. Screening for symptoms and the presence of comorbid psychiatric issues and initiation of or referral for appropriate therapeutic interventions is an important part of patient care.
Understanding Depression
Described as a mood disorder, depression can be explained as feelings of anger, sadness, erratic emotional outbursts that cause hindrance in the everyday life of a person. It’s important to realize that feeling down at times is a normal part of life. Sad and upsetting events happen to everyone. But if that feeling of sadness and hopelessness has been prolonged and regular, then that state can be clinical depression. It is a serious and treatable medical condition which if ignored can get worse with time. People who seek timely treatment are bound to see improvements within weeks.
Serious depression can have a large impact on your mood, some effects the mind and some effects the body of a patient. More so, the symptoms of depression can be experienced differently between men and women:
- Mood swings- such as anger, aggressiveness, irritability, anxiousness, restlessness
- Stress regarding emotional well-being- such as feeling empty, sad, hopeless
- Erratic behavior- such as loss of interest, no longer finding pleasure in favorite activities, feeling tired easily, thoughts of suicide, drinking excessively, using drugs, engaging in high-risk activities
- Having trouble in concentration, actively responding to people and conversation and difficult in comprehending thing
Understanding Multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is a lifelong disease that can affect the brain, spinal cord, and the optic nerves in the eyes. It can cause difficulties with vision, balance, muscle control, and other basic body functions. This happens when a fatty material called myelin is being attacked by the immune system, which wraps around the nerve fibres to protect them. Without this outer shell, the nerves get damaged which may result in the formation of scar tissue.
Symptoms of MS
The effects are mostly different for everyone who has the disease. Some people have mild symptoms hence, they don’t require treatment. Others might have trouble getting around and doing daily chores. However, it usually starts with mild symptoms that may or may not get worse over time. Symptoms generally depend on which part of the central nervous system is being affected and how much damage has been caused. The most common symptoms are:
- Trouble walking
- Feeling tired
- Muscle weakness or spasms
- Blurred or double vision
- Numbness and tingling
- Sexual problems
- Poor bladder or bowel control
- Pain
- Depression
- Problems focusing or remembering
The initial symptoms often start between ages 20 – 40 years. Most people with this disease have attacks, also know relapses, when the condition gets noticeably worse. For other patients, the disease continues to get worse as the time progress.
Causes and Risk Factors of Multiple Sclerosis
The cause of MS is yet unknown — no one knows what sets off the immune reaction that leads to MS lesions in the first place. But it is believed that some combination of genetic weakness and environmental causes is necessary to trigger the disease. Most patients who are diagnosed with MS have no known risk factors. Although, having a family history of MS raises the risk somewhat, it is not considered to be a genetic or hereditary disease.
Some of the best centres for stroke treatment in Delhi offer end to end medical expertise for the treatment of a MS along with mental wellness.
