Depression is never a pleasant topic to discuss. Sure, there are movies and cartoons that actually do a good job at taking depressing sounding characters and letting us laugh at them. From Droopy to Charlie Brown, we have all laughed at sad, yet silly, characters. But with this MesS, depression fills a much more serious, draining, and sometimes painful role. From sad mood swings, to changes in appetite, to a general disinterest, depression can raise its head. There are generally two ways that depression arrives with MS: as an actual symptom caused by an imbalance in the neurological system or as a result of other symptoms. In my case, it is the latter.
I am: 38, disabled, barely able to walk, and plagued by randomly embarrassing episodes of bladder incontinence, to name just a few. But in dealing with these issues, I have also discovered some rather adequate means to help me cope with depression. Here they are:
đź“ŚMedicine:
Since medication for depression is such a volatile issue, I am NOT going to laud one over another. Rather, I simply implore you to do as I have done: See your doctor; be honest with how you feel; and follow the medicine's instructions. I also would like to address what I initially thought was clear mark against any antidepressants. I would always wonder how can a medicine, designed to combat depression lead to thoughts of suicide? Then, it happened to me. I started going into 'dark places', and it terrified me! I am so glad that I had the guts to mention this to my doctor, and he explained to me that the danger which I experienced stemmed from an antidepressant not working properly. My energy was elevated, my mobility increased, but my thought process was not properly adjusted. Hence, I had all the dark thoughts running through my brain and elevated energy to act on those thoughts. My medicine was changed with a much better result.
đź’ˇRealization(s):
Depression is NOT a sign of weakness.
It is rough to predict as all of its facets are not always consistent. There a lot of commonalities, but not all are exactly alike.
đź“–Suggestions:
Sometimes isolation can be good.
Sometimes socialization can be good.
Coffee helps me A LOT.
I am: 38, disabled, barely able to walk, and plagued by randomly embarrassing episodes of bladder incontinence, to name just a few. But in dealing with these issues, I have also discovered some rather adequate means to help me cope with depression. Here they are:
đź“ŚMedicine:
Since medication for depression is such a volatile issue, I am NOT going to laud one over another. Rather, I simply implore you to do as I have done: See your doctor; be honest with how you feel; and follow the medicine's instructions. I also would like to address what I initially thought was clear mark against any antidepressants. I would always wonder how can a medicine, designed to combat depression lead to thoughts of suicide? Then, it happened to me. I started going into 'dark places', and it terrified me! I am so glad that I had the guts to mention this to my doctor, and he explained to me that the danger which I experienced stemmed from an antidepressant not working properly. My energy was elevated, my mobility increased, but my thought process was not properly adjusted. Hence, I had all the dark thoughts running through my brain and elevated energy to act on those thoughts. My medicine was changed with a much better result.
đź’ˇRealization(s):
Depression is NOT a sign of weakness.
It is rough to predict as all of its facets are not always consistent. There a lot of commonalities, but not all are exactly alike.
đź“–Suggestions:
Sometimes isolation can be good.
Sometimes socialization can be good.
Coffee helps me A LOT.
Depression comes with MS just as much as it can come from MS.
But, like many other sides of this MesS, while it might not be completely avoidable, it can be managed. (see blow)
Other links about Depression and Multiple Sclerosis
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