MS Depression: What Causes It?
Is Multiple Sclerosis Depression Organic or Situational?
MS depression can be organic (produced by the body) or situational (produced by outside factors such as stress or medication), or a combination of both......
Like any chronic illness, multiple sclerosis can cause depression. People who never thought they could be down in the dumps find themselves helpless against the despair that illness can bring. Chronic neurological illnesses, including MS, can have frightening symptoms, such as seizures, loss of motor function, fluctuating mental capacity, or odd sensory perceptions. One must wonder whether multiple sclerosis depression comes from the disease itself (organic) or from the stress of being chronically ill, or even from one of the disease-modifying medications (situational.)
Organic Depression
Doctors believe that multiple sclerosis depression can be caused by the illness itself. Apparently the scar tissue, or myelin plaques, can form in areas of the brain that control emotions. Just like other symptoms that come and go at whim, depression can strike for no reason--- a person may not be experiencing any other symptoms, an acute attack, or traumatic stress in his or her life. Many people with multiple sclerosis experience depression at some point during the disease. Lots of these people battle chronic depression. Chronic depression with MS can be the result of plaques that have caused nerve damage, and this depression becomes a chronic symptom, much like tingling or numbness.
Situational Depression
On the other hand, MS depression can be caused by factors outside of the body. A typical factor of depression is dealing with the stress and uncertainty of chronic illness. People with multiple sclerosis must handle recurring symptoms such as fatigue, weakness, and/or pain. This interferes with jobs (for those who can work outside the home) and personal lives. Those unable to work outside the home deal with isolation. Then there's the uncertainty of the future. Will there be more attacks? Will they be more severe? When will they strike? For all of these reasons, multiple sclerosis depression can set in and take hold.
Another situational depression factor is the use of some of the disease-modifying drugs. These include Avonex, Betaseron, and Rebif. All of these drugs are called interferons, and all have the capability of causing depression. Apparently the drugs reduce seretonin levels in the brain, causing the blues. Not everyone experiences this side-effect, and it would be hard to say if it definitely came from one of these drugs.
Conclusion
With several factors possibly contributing to depression, the source cannot be 100% determined. Whatever the cause of multiple sclerosis depression, it is real and it can be treated. Whether organic or situational, it should be taken care of in order to better cope with a chronic, neurological illness. Taking the bull by the horns allows for a more fulfilling, happier life, despite having MS.
Reference: nmss.org
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***For related information, check out the Neurological ARTICLE INDEX.
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