A third of people with multiple sclerosis keep condition secret
More than a third of people in Scotland living with multiple sclerosis keep the condition a secret, an MS support charity has said.
The MS Society encouraged people to share their stories in the hope of supporting others, ahead of MS week from today.
A survey by the society of 800 peoplelivingwiththecondition showed that 35 per cent keep it a secret.
Of those, one in ten had not told their partner, and almost 60 per cent said they had not told colleagues.
Asked why they did not tell people about the condition, 74 per cent said talking about it made them nervous.
More than half were worried people would feel sorry for them, some 37 per cent feared discrimination, and 40 per cent said they thought it might impact their career.
Morna Simpkins, director of MS Society Scotland, said: “We hope that, by sharing their own stories, people who are happy to speak openly can offer others in a similar situation somethingtheyidentifywith.andby raisingtheprofileofms,wecan increaseunderstandingamong thosewithnoexperienceofms.
“Care and support services have been affected by Covid-19, soit’smoreimportantthanever that people living with MS can accessadvice,peersupportand information.”
More than 15,000 people in Scotland have MS, which causes nerve damage and can make it harder to do everyday things like walk, talk, eat and think.
Kirstydinneen,49,fromedinburgh, is a data analyst and was diagnosed with relapsing MS in 2017.
She is open about her conditionandsaidshepreferspeople to ask questions about it if they are curious.
“It drives conversation and it drives awareness and that’s something I’m keen to do that with MS,” she said.
"I know I didn’t know much when I was diagnosed. I only knew the bad stories and if that’sallyouknowthenit’sreally scary. But if you can see the positive outcomes or that you can continue to live your life then that’s reassuring.
“That’s one of the reasons I’ve always chosen to be so open about how things affect me.
“Itrytojustacceptthatmsisa part of my and my family’s life. I tryreallyhardnottobeafraidof it, but it does colour a lot of how you think.
"One of my constant battles is trying to accept it without letting it define you."