MS: TALKING ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH

While the strategies we mention in this article are helpful tips for managing mental health, they are not treatments for depression or other mental health issues that can accompany MS. If your symptoms feel unmanageable, speak with your general practitioner or other health care professional about it as soon as possible.

What is mental health? According to the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), “mental health is key to our well-being.” We can’t truly be healthy without it. It involves how we feel, think, act and interact with the world around us. Good mental health isn’t about avoiding problems or trying to achieve a ‘perfect’ life. It’s about living well and feeling capable despite challenges.

Talking about mental health can be very difficult; sharing one’s feelings may not come naturally to many people due to fear of being judged or stigmatized. Campaigns like Bell Let’s Talk are doing important work in raising awareness and encouraging discourse of issues related to mental health. This year’s campaign featured Canadian celebrities Howie Mandel and Serena Ryder talking openly about their struggles with mental health, which was a big step forward to ending this stigma.

Good mental health begins with regular self-check-ins to determine whether you need help from a healthcare professional or your social network. You can informally check in on your mental health by using the CMHA’s Mental Health Meter.

MS AND MENTAL HEALTH

Based on research dating back to the 1960s, we know that depression, anxiety and other mental health problems can be a symptom of the disease, a reaction to the diagnosis or a side effect of a treatment. Mental health issues can also be a response to any other number of life changes caused by MS. These may include changes to roles within the family, workplace or finances and interpersonal or social situations. Fortunately, there are a variety of treatments and coping strategies available to people who live with mental health issues.

HOW DO COGNITIVE CHANGES AFFECT MOOD AND VICE VERSA?

Someone dealing with depression may be more likely to have difficulty staying focused on a task or processing information, and may have more difficulty than usual planning and problem-solving. Likewise, a person with memory problems may feel increasingly anxious about forgetting important events, or may become depressed because of their changing abilities. People with MS are encouraged to speak to their health-care team about concerns regarding their mental health.

Talk about it: finding people to talk to can be really difficult. Knowing who to trust and fearing judgment from loved ones and society at large are legitimate concerns when it comes to opening up about something as personal as your health — although it shouldn’t and does not need to be that way. Some people find that attending community-based self-help groups can help them meet people with whom they share similar experiences. You can try MS-specific groups or mental health and mood-specific

TALKING ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH CAN BE DIFFICULT

groups and see what works for you.

Employee EAP benefit programs are one way around the high cost of counselling services. Alternatively, if you live near a university, psychology and social work students sometimes offer sessions at reduced rates as they complete their degrees. There are also cognitive behavioural therapy resources online that may help you to cope with symptoms of anxiety and depression between sessions, or in the absence thereof. If these are not options for you, there are crisis centres available across Canada, all with 24-hour toll-free phone lines.

The MS Society of Canada recently launched the MS Peer Support Program — an online and call-in program for people living with MS who are seeking a mentor living with MS to help guide them through the experience of coping with the disease.

Whether you are newly diagnosed, you have a specific question or you just want to talk about issues related to MS, sometimes the best person to talk to is someone who also has MS.

Volunteers from across the country are provided with extensive training to ensure they have the skills to best support you!

While the strategies we mentioned in this article are helpful tips for managing mental health, they are not treatments for depression and other mental health issues that can accompany MS. If your symptoms feel unmanageable, speak with your general practitioner or other health-care professional about it as soon as possible.

Remember, we’re here for you. For information about counselling services that may be available in your area, reach us at info@mssociety.ca or by phone at: 1-800268-7582.

WHETHER YOU’RE NEWLY DIAGNOSED, HAVE A SPECIFIC QUESTION OR JUST WANT TO TALK ABOUT ISSUES RELATED TO MS, SOMETIMES THE BEST PERSON TO TALK TO IS ALSO SOMEONE WHO HAS MS. — SYLVIA LEONARD, MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS SOCIETY OF CANADA