Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms

Emotions and Emotional Problems

Emotional problems and difficulties with multiple sclerosis are extremely common. This is unsurprising considering the impact having multiple sclerosis can have in your life.

Emotional problems may develop due to the disease itself and can also develop simply as a result of becoming overwhelmed by the implications of having multiple sclerosis and the outlook for the future.

Regardless of what age you are when multiple sclerosis is diagnosed (average age of diagnosis is around 37 years of age), the emotional blows inflicted are quite considerable.

People usually find they become frightened (even if they don't admit it) by the prospect of multiple sclerosis. In part, this is due to a lack of knowledge on the subject and the stereotypical picture many people already have.

Another huge emotional blow is the impact that developing the disease may have on life plans and direction. The ability to work may be affected, throwing future plans into disarray.

This often becomes an ever increasing reality as the disease progresses over time, although it may take many years before a person's ability to work is affected to the point of have to give up employment.

Other sources of emotional distress may result from the changes it is necessary to make to family life, such as switching roles within the family unit, for example, from wage earner.

Uncontrollable emotional outbursts are usually the result of the disease process.

Suddenly laughing for no apparent reason (even to yourself) or suddenly bursting into tears are usually the result of disease activity and tend to occur with lesion formation in the areas of the brain which are involved with emotion.

This type of emotional difficulty is known as emotional lability (severe mood swings), or the pseudobulbar affect (uncontrollable laughing / crying).

 

Early Symptoms

| Early Symptoms of MS |

Arms and Legs

| Foot Drop | Paralysis | Spasticity | Tremor |

Head and Neck

| Adjustment Disorder | Balance | Brain Fog | Cognitive Problems | Concentration | Depression | Dizziness | Emotions | Euphoria | Language | L'Hermittes Sign | Memory Problems | Mental Problems | Optic Neuritis | Paranoia | Psychosis | Speech Problems | Vertigo | Vision Problems |

Body and Body as a whole

| Bladder | Bowel | Fatigue | Numbness | Pain | Sexual Dysfunction | Uhthoff's Phenomenon |

 

Multiple Sclerosis

2002 – A patient with Multiple Sclerosis can expect to live to average population life-expectancy minus seven years (mean life expectancy - 7 years).

Cause of Multiple Sclerosis

The cause of multiple sclerosis remains a mystery. Many different causes have been proposed and investigated but as yet the cause of multiple sclerosis remains elusive... Read More