Hi Kim,

Depression is a dangerous thing as it sounds like you know.  And when living with MS, it can be difficult to know if the disease itself is causing the depression (which is common) or if it is a situational reaction to dealing with life.  Either way, it is very important to share this with your doctors.

I have been depression on and off for years.  For me, it has been very important to get treatment (drug) and therapy when things were really bad.  In fact, I visited the same counsellor for years even after my depression was managed.  It was part of taking care of myself.

What is difficult is recognizing that slow deep decline which occurs when depression starts to become very intense.  Others around you may notice before you do.  It is also very difficult to want to do anything about it when it gets bad.  This is when you must reach out!! 

Please don't be ashamed to reach out and tell somebody.  You must do so for yourself.  Start with someone you trust.  Definitely talk to your doctor.  It can get better.  I know.

Lisa

Just as Melis said, I am not a doctor. My answer is based on research and reading.

There is a relationship between depression and MS, and it is a trilogy.

When you first learn you have MS and begin learning about the possible symptoms and that there is no cure, you have experienced part one.

Part two is when a new lesion is in the part of the brain that governs mood. This is what Melis and Lisa were talking about saying the disease itself can cause depression.

The third part is when our doctors give us certain drugs in order to ease the depression. Instead of helping, the medicine  itself causes depression.

There is almost no way out, except there is always hope. Counseling, of course, helps — and no, you are not crazy. Counseling is helpful and educational. Then, if your drugs make you feel more depressed, talk with your doctor. You may need a totally different treatment, or maybe just a different drug.

There were no disease-modifying drugs before the early 1990s. Since that time, there have been new drug introductions every few years. Research has been more successful than the previous century and it has been more successful in the past two decades. In the past three years or so, major discoveries have been announced.

Maybe that cure is not so far away after all. There is always hope.

hope - new treatments and aggressive research