Unit 30
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating disease in which the insulating covers of nerve cells in the
brain and spinal cord are damaged. This damage disrupts the ability of parts of the nervous system
to communicate, resulting in a range of signs and symptoms, including physical, mental, and
sometimes psychiatric problems. Specific symptoms can include double vision, blindness in one eye,
muscle weakness, trouble with sensation, or trouble with coordination. MS takes several forms, with
new symptoms either occurring in isolated attacks (relapsing forms) or building up over time
(progressive forms). Between attacks, symptoms may disappear completely; however, permanent
neurological problems often remain, especially as the disease advances. While the cause is not clear,
the underlying mechanism is thought to be either destruction by the immune system or failure of
the myelin-producing cells. Proposed causes for this include genetics and environmental factors such
as being triggered by a viral infection. MS is usually diagnosed based on the presenting signs and
symptoms and the results of supporting medical tests.
After being diagnosed with MS some people may feel like they don’t want to go on because they
know how much it can have an impact on their life. They might get depression and refuse to carry on
with their day to day lifestyle some people might realise that they need to start living life to the
fullest because they don’t know how they’re going to feel when they wake up as the symptoms can
come and go therefore they want to cherish every moment where they are able to do everything
normally. I think the positives of being diagnosed is that at least the person knows for sure what’s
wrong with them and now they can start moving forward with their life. The negatives of being
diagnosed are that the person might feel like it’s the end and there is no hope, they might feel like
there is nothing that anyone can do to help, the might feel that no one understands what they’re
going through.
People with MS all have different symptoms therefore when someone first starts noticing their
symptoms they could have easily just ignored them and thought it was something small as they
might just have had some double vision and muscle tiredness; these could have been easily linked to
something else. However, they could have experienced chronic pain and immediately thought of the
worst scenario and panicked.
Before the person was diagnosed because they were UN aware of what was actually wrong with
them they might have been experiencing organic pain because they might have had insulin that
something was wrong therefore they kept overthinking and thought things were much worse. MS
can cause mental symptoms like depression and anxiety so even if they were unaware they had MS
they could have depression /anxiety which means they could be likely to experience psychogenic
pain.
MS can affect many aspects of daily family life, particularly if a person has symptoms such as fatigue,
eyesight problems and cognitive changes. Couples may find that they have to review their roles
within the household and this can be difficult. For example, a family with two incomes may have to