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Severe Depression and MS: A Dangerous Co-Morbidity that Often Goes Untreated

Severe Depression and MS: A Dangerous Co-Morbidity that Often Goes Untreated. A Research Project by Kelly Black East Tennessee State University August 2005. As many as 50% of patients with Multiple Sclerosis suffer from depression ranging from mild to severe.

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Severe Depression and MS: A Dangerous Co-Morbidity that Often Goes Untreated

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  1. Severe Depression and MS:A Dangerous Co-Morbidity that Often Goes Untreated A Research Project by Kelly Black East Tennessee State University August 2005

  2. As many as 50% of patients with Multiple Sclerosis suffer from depression ranging from mild to severe. Patients with MS are at risk because of the typical emotional and physical adjustments to being diagnosed with this chronic illness. They suffer symptoms early in their diagnosis without relief, especially in Relapsing-Remitting MS, sometimes causing feelings of hopelessness.

  3. Individuals with MS may even exhibit symptoms of depression because of the location of the lesions in their central nervous system, particularly in the left temporal region of the brain, allowing them no control over whether or not they will suffer from depressive disorders.

  4. Interferon, a common disease-modifying drug used for MS, may even increase the risk of developing symptoms of depression; however, it is unclear if interferon therapy definitely causes depression, but regulatory agencies require all packaging to have a warning that depressive symptoms may occur or become worse when taking interferon.

  5. It is difficult to distinguish between depression and the fatigue and other symptoms that are related to MS, raising the risk that physicians may dismiss the symptoms of depression as “normal”, leaving the syndrome untreated and the patient left to suffer with a mood disorder that they may not understand.

  6. Symptoms of depression also often go unnoticed because the patient and the physician focus more on the physical symptoms of MS, such as gait problems, vision problems, or cognitive difficulties.

  7. The medical community must stop overlooking the emotional difficulties the newly diagnosed MS patient may be facing, and must certainly pay closer attention to these emotional issues in patients who have had the disease for some time. Research shows that as depression continues to be ignored, the suicide rate in MS patients has risen to 7.5 times higher than the general population. This is unacceptable for a condition that can be treated with medication and therapy!

  8. There are ways you can help! • For more information about MS, or to find out how you can help fight MS, contact the National Multiple Sclerosis Society at: www.nationalmssociety.com or 1-800-FIGHT-MS (800-344-4867)

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