combination of these factors. She
said the disease itself may damage
emotional pathways of the brain,
resulting in increased irritability,
sadness or anger.
Charlotte*, 17, said she
struggles with feelings of irritability and anger and is often upset
over the smallest thing. “No one
really understands what I feel like
every day,” she said. “Sometimes
my family says I am just being
dramatic when I go to my room
and close the door. Even though
MS sometimes makes me feel
alone, when I’m upset I just want
to be by myself,” she explained.
It’s a challenge getting others to
understand her changing moods.
She often writes in a journal and
listens to relaxing music to cope
with her mood swings.
Sheri* has lived with MS for
10 years. Balancing the challenges of MS with the demands
of raising a family often depletes
her energy. She is well aware that
her mood quickly changes when
she becomes fatigued. “My fuse is
much shorter than it used to be
and I get really moody when I’m
tired,” she told me. Sheri takes a
prescription medication for her
fatigue, and also uses relaxation
techniques to help her cope with
changing moods.
Sometimes it’s a medication
Soon after starting one medication, I felt like I was being
followed by a dark cloud. My
whole world became gloomy. I
told my doctor about my mood
change and we decided to switch
Are you a lot touchier
than you used to be?
It’s probably a lot of
things: Living with
an unpredictable
disease is one, some
medications for
MS—and, yes,
MS itself.
treatments. I was grateful when
the dark cloud disappeared. But
as a sleep-deprived new mom,
I would have been even more
grateful if the doctor had figured
out how to make my son sleep
through the night!
Sheri also had trouble finding
a treatment that didn’t worsen
her mood. She described being
in a constant state of rage while
taking one medication. Her
anger lessened considerably after
starting on something different.
People with MS can react differently to different medications, so
if changes in mood or behavior
occur, speak up! Several MS
medications list anxiety, depression and mood swings as potential side effects.
Dr. Giesser pointed out that
it is important to learn whether
the mood swings are related to
depression, anxiety, fatigue or
something else. Some people
benefit from individual or family
counseling, while others ben-
efit from prescription medica-
tions. Today there are effective
treatments for mood swings,
depression and many other MS
symptoms.
Moving can make a mood move
Yoga, tai chi and other forms
of exercise are known to help
persons with MS manage mood
swings. Meditation and relaxation techniques can reduce
stress. Christine* heads for the
pool whenever she is sad or
angry. “Focusing on the movements of my body when I swim
quiets my mind,” she said.
Christine notices her mood has
often improved after a swim.
“Swimming distracts me. I usually forget about MS for a little
while,” she said.
I try not to blame MS every
time I get upset. My MS is not
responsible for every bad mood,
but it is oddly comforting to
know that sometimes it’s MS
that makes me freak out over a
cluttered kitchen table. Taking
a few deep breaths is sometimes
enough to keep my tears from
coming, but I still wear waterproof mascara just in case. n
*People shared their stories with
me, but asked for privacy. All the
names have been changed.
Kimberly Zolotar was diagnosed
in 1995. She lives in California with
husband Greg and son Alex, and
works as a
legal secre-
tary. She is
also becoming
a waterproof
mascara
expert.
