What are the mental changes associated with multiple sclerosis?

what are the mental symptoms of having multiple sclerosis

MS causes cognitive problems in about 50% of people who have it as well as short term memory problems and emotional problems. Depression is very common. While people think that MS only causes physical problems, that is far from the truth. Keep in mind though that for many MS sufferers the changes are not permanant. Most people with MS have the relapsing/remmitting form of the disease, meaning that the symptoms come and go. So while they may be depressed or cognitively impaired for a period of time, usually it is for a specfied amount of time. MS attacks are referred to as exacerbations. These exacerbations can be from a couple of hours to weeks or months. After that the person will return to normal or near normal. However there is another from of the disease that is called progressive where the person does not recover.

I think depression and anxiety would affect someone with ms because they are sad that they have the condition and anxious because they dont know if they will get better or if treatment will work.

"Some mental changes that can occur include loss of memory, depression, and personality changes. Some of these changes may result from damage to neurons. Others may be a side effect caused by the patient's despair about the disease. In less common cases, a person with MS may actually feel happier than usual."

MS is a highly variable disease and the symptoms with each individual are subject to unpredictable change.
There can be psychological issues., depression, anxiety due to a reaction to having an incurable chronic disease and due to physiological changes in the brain. Euphoria may sometimes be seen and is due to a lesion on the brain. There can also be cognitive changes, more often seen later in the disease. Medications can help with these symptoms.

Cognitive Dysfunction, in varying measures, is common in MS. This can affect both short-term and long-term memory, word retrieval, processing, speech, executive functions... et al. These can be quite severe.

Fatigue has been lumped in with CD, though is a symptom on it's own. I find my fatigue makes cognitive function more difficult, as I'm sure do many.

For mood/emotional problems, depression is very common though not always as the "effect" of having a chronic disability. There are those who believe it is part of the MS symptomology, while others disagree... It could be both a result of living with a chronic disorder and part of the symptomology.

MSers tend to make changes in doctors, medications, and other aspects of life and there are those MSers for whom this is part of the psychology of MS.

Here are two quick links which may help...

http://www.thjuland.net/gloss1-c.html#Co...

http://www.mult-sclerosis.org/mssymptoms...

(Re: the second link, while I like this site very much, I disagree with labeling "Bipolar" as part of MS, though mood swings can fit... "mood swings" are not "Bipolar Disorder").

In some people who have MS there is a gradual decline in cognitive ability. It depends on how much and where plaque's are located in the brain.

Depression
Cognitive dysfunction (short-term and long-term memory problems, forgetfulness, slow word recall)
Dementia
Mood swings, emotional lability, euphoria
Bipolar syndrome
Anxiety
Aphasia, Dysphasia (Impairments to speech comprehension and production)

The IV treatment is usually the reason why their mental status changes. Not to sound insensitive, but "chemo brain", same thing as some cancer patients.