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Having MS can create turmoil in every area of a person's life. The diagnosis/disease is both challenging and confusing, often resulting in a variety of emotions including fear, grief, despair and hope. The tremendous uncertainty associated with MS is one of the most distressing aspects of the disease. People with MS never know when an exacerbation will occur or how the course of the disease may affect the future. They do not even know how they will feel from morning to afternoon or one day to the next. The loss of function and/or altered life circumstances caused by the disease can cause anxiety and distress. |
One way to bring perspective to these emotions is through counseling. At Louisville Comprehensive Care MS Center, Inc., our experienced counselor offers individual, marital, family and group therapy to help you with your unique needs.
Our bodies function as one unit; each part of the body affects the function of other parts. If we are under a great deal of stress and not coping very well, our physical health can be greatly compromised. Therefore, when someone is managing a long-term illness, such as MS, it is important to address all parts of their humanity, not just the physical symptoms.
Individual counseling can help the MS patient clarify the issues as they struggle to come to terms with the real and anticipated losses that accompany a chronic illness.
Family and marital counseling can help spouses and family members understand their own feelings and help them cope with the special issues they face.
Support groups can provide information and empathy from other people who live with MS and can also alleviate the isolation and loneliness that accompanies a chronic disease.
This checklist may help you determine if you are currently experiencing symptoms of depression. Everyone experiences the symptoms of depression differently, but healthcare professionals have identified some common emotional and painful physical symptoms of depression.
* Little interest or pleasure in doing things
* Feeling down, depressed, or hopeless
* Trouble falling or staying asleep, or sleeping too much
* Feeling tired or having little energy
* Poor appetite or overeating
* Feeling bad about yourself, or feeling that you are a failure
* Increased restlessness and irritability
* Poor concentration and memory
If you checked one or more of these you should speak to your doctor or a mental health counselor to determine if you have depression or a related mental health illness. |
