Researchers in Norway found symptoms
of depression and anxiety to be significantly higher among people with
MS compared with those without MS. This study provides important data
on the occurrence of emotional changes in people with MS, and the
necessity to increase treatment of these symptoms. Antonie G. Beiske,
MD (University Hospital, Akershus, NO) and colleagues report their
findings in the European Journal of Neurology (2008
Mar;15(3):239-45). This work was funded by the Norwegian MS Society,
the Hølands legacy, the Per B. Larsens legacy, the Kjell Alames Legacy
and the Bergen MS Society.
Emotional changes are very common in MS, both as a reaction to the
stress of living with a chronic, unpredictable illness and because of
neurologic changes caused by the disease. Severe depression, mood
swings, irritability, and episodes of uncontrollable laughing and
crying pose significant challenges for people with MS and their family
members.
Dr. Beiske's team studied depression and anxiety in people with MS in
four municipalities in Eastern Norway. They were able to collect and
analyze data on 140 patients who underwent clinical and
neuropsychiatric examinations. Patients were excluded if they had
severe cognitive or psychiatric impairment or a serious medical
condition other than MS that would preclude participation. The data
were compared with the results of a 2001 study of general and mental
health in Norway. Clinical measures used included the HSCL-25, a short,
simple checklist of symptoms of anxiety and depression. In the group
with MS, fatigue was assessed as well. Participants with MS were asked
if they had obtained treatment from a psychiatrist or psychologist, or
if they felt an unmet need for treatment of anxiety or depression.
A total of 31.4% of people with MS reported symptoms of depression,
significantly higher than the 16.1% reported in the general population;
19.3% of people with MS had anxiety, significantly higher than the
10.9% among controls.
In the group with MS, fatigue and younger age at onset were
significantly associated with symptoms of depression. Symptoms of
anxiety were associated with fatigue and pain, less disease activity
and younger age at onset. Compared to those without fatigue, those with
fatigue were almost four times as likely to have depressive symptoms
and more than five times as likely to have symptoms of anxiety. In
addition, individuals with pain were more than four times as likely to
have symptoms of anxiety. Only 15.9% reported having undergone
treatment for depression and 11.1% for anxiety. Of untreated people who
reported having these symptoms, 18.2% expressed the need for treatment.
"Symptoms of depression and anxiety both independently and in
interaction with other MS symptoms affect patients' functioning," write
the authors. "Thus, depressive and anxiety symptoms have to be
identified and treated, and not interpreted as a natural and inevitable
consequence of the disease course."
Learn more about
emotional changes that affect people with MS, and about the
treatments that are available to relieve these symptoms.
National MS Society
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