On Sunday, Nov. 2, daylight saving time ended, our clocks “falling back” an hour. This time of year is difficult for many because the sun sets earlier and the evenings are darker. This can contribute to seasonal depression for a lot of people. However, I experience the opposite. Long before…
depression
Regular exercise that follows established guidelines for physical activity in multiple sclerosis (MS) leads to clinically meaningful gains in depression and supports its use as a nonpharmacological treatment for people with MS, a meta-analysis of 12 studies suggests. The meta-analysis, “Effects of meeting exercise guidelines on depression and…
People who develop multiple sclerosis (MS) at a younger age tend to consistently have better physical health but worse mental health than those diagnosed later, a study found. While physical health declined in the long term for all age groups, and mental health increased, the differences between groups were…
Cognitive symptoms, mood disorders, and fatigue manifest differently in relapsing-remitting and progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), a study found. “[O]ur results indicate that the subtype of MS is associated with … specific kinds of cognitive deficits, suggesting the need for subtype-specific therapeutic interventions,” the France-based research team…
Women with multiple sclerosis (MS) who have a close friend to confide in experience better physical and mental health outcomes than women without this kind of relationship, a study reports. As well as higher rates of depression and anxiety symptoms, women who did not have a confidant had worse…
Three months of daily supplements containing ellagic acid — an antioxidant found naturally in many fruits and plants — significantly reduced disability levels and eased fatigue, depression, and anxiety in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a small clinical study from Iran. Indeed, the researchers noted a “statistically…
A 12-week program based on the Wim Hof method (WHM) — which combines cold exposure, breathing exercises, and mindfulness — was found to significantly ease cognitive fatigue, anxiety, and depression, as well as certain cognitive difficulties, in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) in a pilot clinical study. According to…
Women with multiple sclerosis (MS) face a significantly higher risk of mental illness during and after pregnancy than those without the disease, according to a new study that analyzed data from more than 890,000 women in Canada. Mental health issues, mostly anxiety and depression, affected 42% of women…
After today, I have only one more session of therapy for my current bout with depression. I don’t mean to imply that I’m getting chased out the door, or that more therapy won’t be recommended in the future, just that I’ve come to the end of my current program. I…
I’m losing control. I don’t mean that I’m out of control or spiraling in that direction, but I definitely feel like I have a lot less of it these days. That’s a real problem for me because my therapist said that one of the primary issues contributing to my depression…
Due to the nature of my work in U.S. Army Special Operations, or maybe just because of the nature of me, I had a couple psychological evaluations over the years. Don’t worry, I’m perfectly normal — if “normal” means the kind of person who has the right personality for…
Two weeks ago, I was notified that one of the lesions on my brain has grown. This led me and my care team to decide it was time to switch multiple sclerosis (MS) treatments. Soon after I was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis in 2017,…
Nearly half of all multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who participated in clinical trials — including global, pivotal studies — had one or more comorbidities, or coexisting conditions, the most common being depression and high blood pressure, a meta-analysis study found. While the rate of patients with comorbidities “may be…
Foods that promote inflammation appear to contribute to the development over time of depression and anxiety in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a study that followed patients for 10 years reports. A pro-inflammatory diet, however, was not linked to fatigue, a common MS symptom. “If the relationship with…
Women with a history of depression around the time they get pregnant are at increased risk of developing autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS), according to recent research. Likewise, women who have an autoimmune disease are more likely to get depressed during pregnancy and in the year after…
People with multiple sclerosis (MS) are more likely to experience depression, sexual dysfunction, constipation, inflammation of the bladder, and urinary tract infection in the five years leading up to their diagnosis than those without the disease, a study found. These findings parallel growing evidence that there’s a prodromal phase, in…
In children with pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (POMS), poor sleep quality is linked to fatigue, depression, and worse quality of life, a study has found. While no significant differences in sleep measures were identified between children and adolescents with MS compared with those without the neurodegenerative condition, sleep can have…
Combining a saffron supplement and an exercise program for three months was seen to significantly ease depression and improve quality of life for women with multiple sclerosis (MS), a study in Iran found. The combination of the two treatments worked better than either approach alone. “Although … the corrective…
Anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues are nearly twice as common in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) in the five years preceding disease onset than they are in the general public, a study reports. These findings add to growing evidence that people with MS often go through a…
A cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) program delivered virtually — using self-paced remote modules — significantly eased depressive symptoms and improved life quality in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with depression, according to new research. A Phase 3 trial testing the remote program had aimed to determine if an internet-delivered platform…
How do you start a column about depression that isn’t, well, depressing? That’s a question for me to answer rather than you lot. If you’re still reading this week’s musings, then so far I’ve done pretty darned good. It was a confluence of events that fortunately involved water. I’d…
Physical disability, not whether patients are depressed, when they’re diagnosed with multiple sclerosis significantly influences their future disability progression, according to a recent U.K. registry study. Although patients who were depressed at the time of their diagnosis were more likely to accumulate significant disability and require an aid to…
One year of treatment with Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) significantly improved cognitive abilities, particularly with processing speed, and eased depression in people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), a small real-world study reported. Most of the 39 patients (92%) evaluated after that treatment year showed either stable or improved…
Issues with sexual performance and satisfaction are common with multiple sclerosis (MS), and show significant associations with measures of quality of life, a study shows. Sexual problems tend to be more pronounced among patients with severe fatigue and depression, data suggest. These findings highlight areas where healthcare providers can…
Adherence to a high-quality diet may help alleviate symptoms of depression in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a study from Australia suggests. The study examined several dietary regimens that have been developed to help manage MS symptoms generally by avoiding foods that might increase inflammation, a key driver…
Welcome to “MS News Notes,” a Monday morning column where I comment on multiple sclerosis (MS) news stories that caught my eye last week. In this column, I’ll be highlighting some MS News Today stories from last week’s Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis…
Psychiatric symptoms such as depression and anxiety are more common among multiple sclerosis (MS) patients in the five years leading up to disease onset than in people from the general population, according to a recent analysis. Individuals who would later go on to develop clinical signs of MS also…
To support the wellness journeys of Canadians living with multiple sclerosis (MS), digital healthcare company Sesh is partnering with MS Canada to provide free, unlimited access to its online mental health platform. The partnership allows patients to participate in virtual therapist-led support groups, and kickstarts research efforts…
Smoking tobacco products is associated with a higher prevalence of depression and anxiety among multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, according to a recent systematic review. Across the evaluated studies, current smoking was linked to a 1.3–2.3 times higher prevalence of depression, and about a 1.2 times higher rate of anxiety.
Researchers have identified specific areas of brain damage associated with depression in multiple sclerosis (MS), but not with other symptoms of the disease. The findings could pave the way toward new treatments for MS-related depression that work to stimulate these regions. “The more we know about the connectivity of…