| Most MS patients recognize the symptoms of MS | | | | when talking to employers or people in authority. |
| within a few months of their diagnosis. The | | | | Depression is at least as bad for people with MS |
| emotional effects are not visible externally, so | | | | as for people who are otherwise healthy, although |
| may be overlooked by the families or carers of | | | | it is impossible to tell how far the bad news about |
| MS patients and even by the patients themselves. | | | | having MS is a cause in itself. Is it cause or is it an |
| Despite the fact that it has the same physical | | | | effect? Perhaps MS depression is both a cause |
| cause, the effect of MS on the way somebody | | | | and effect. In any case, depression amongst MS |
| thinks is different to other symptoms. If the | | | | sufferers is well above the average for the |
| messages passing from the brain to the rest of | | | | population as a whole. |
| the body via the central nervous system are | | | | Irrational mood swings are a feature of MS that |
| distorted by MS it is hardly surprising the actual | | | | combines both euphoria and depression. The |
| way the brain works is affected as well. | | | | families of people with MS are often baffled by |
| Therefore the tricks multiple sclerosis plays on the | | | | the sudden and unpredictable lurches from highs |
| internal messaging systems of the central | | | | to lows. |
| nervous system can take MS patients by surprise. | | | | Some researchers claim that more abstract |
| These mental effects can include: | | | | concepts such as spacial awareness can become |
| Euphoria, which means an "exaggerated and | | | | difficult for multiple sclerosis patients. |
| unrealistic state of happiness", is a fairly common | | | | Clearer examples of thought problems are |
| emotional symptom. It may not sound too bad, | | | | memory lapses, which can look like lazy thinking, |
| but it can be a problem if it means uncontrollable | | | | carelessness, or just plain rudeness. MS patients |
| giggling when nothing funny has happened. Like | | | | are sometimes embarrassed to find they have |
| being drunk, euphoria is quite fun at the time, but | | | | forgotten the names of people they know very |
| is frustrating for outsiders who can see perfectly | | | | well. |
| well there is no joke and is potentially disastrous | | | | |