Emotional and Intellectual Changes
Being told that you have MS is likely to be very distressing, and can bring a welter of different feelings. For some people, emotional and intellectual disturbances are caused by the disease itself.
Depression strikes between a quarter and a half of people with MS at some time. This can be a reaction to having the disease, caused by worries about the future, changes to lifestyle or distressing symptoms. Depression may also be a direct consequence of damage to the nervous system, or a side-effect or certain treatments. Irritability, anxiety and mood swings are natural reactions to illness and stress that affect most people from time to time. MS may mean these feelings occur more often.
At the other end of the spectrum, some people with MS experience feelings of euphoria, a powerful sense of well-being or a physical and emotional ‘high’. Damage in the parts of the brain that deal with emotions can make feelings and their expression harder to control. Some people find they cry or lose their temper easily, or laugh at inappropriate times.
MS does not cause dementia (loss of mental faculties) of the kind found in Alzheimer’s disease. People with MS can hold down intellectually demanding jobs as doctors, lecturers and other professionals. However, problems with short-term memory, concentration or reasoning can develop. Often these are minimal and have little effect on the persons’ ability to carry on with everyday life.