MS Mental Health Therapies
- Jayden Wong
- Jul 17, 2024
- 2 min read
Jayden Wong
Confined to the limits of our current understanding, true treatment of multiple sclerosis remains beyond the capacity of our modern world. While symptom-treating and disease-modifying approaches now allow patients to effectively manage the disease on a biological front, a patient’s capability to return to society still hinges on a whole other front, their mental health. This side of patient treatment is especially vital, considering the continuous disability progression and the chronic nature of the disease. Here, we will discuss forefront mental health therapies for MS.
Support Groups
In bringing together a community of similar experiences, challenges and adversity brought on by a common affliction of MS, support groups help foster a sense of inclusivity and acceptance. In a state that can feel so isolating, support groups allow individuals to connect, providing a comfortable safe space for feelings, emotions, stress, and fears. When faced with a MS relapse, support groups provide peer support and a break from the external world, while also sharing time-tested advice on accessing resources and managing symptoms.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy seeks to grapple with the psychological repercussions of multiple sclerosis, eliminating them through learned strategies. Individuals record words and thought patterns that induce fear and stress, often in diaries, conditioning themselves to reframe their thoughts in more positive lights in a technique called cognitive restructuring. By improving stress management and reducing stresses that induce depression and anxiety, CBT contributes to higher qualities of life, empowering individuals with greater control over their lives.
Neuropsychological Rehabilitation
MS, often in its later stages, will come along with movement and thinking difficulties and impairments. As such, rehabilitation with neuropsychologists is a forefront treatment method, where need is determined beforehand through a comprehensive neuropsychological assessment to evaluate the individual's cognitive functioning, including memory, attention, executive functions, and problem-solving abilities. Individualized treatment plans unique to a patient will often cover exercises and strategies to improve memory functions and enhance focus.
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