Personality

[DkLadybug]

What can you do when you have MS and your personality changes completely ?

[supermum_ms]

It was kind of hard for me to relate MS to a personality change, but I don't think I was looking at this very clearly..........on second thoughts, many sx's caused directly by MS, actually can change a person's personality!

Chronic pain, sleep issues, anxiety/depression, speech, fatigue to lassitude, cognitive, mobility etc all have the potential to alter your personality, obviously in different ways, subtle to major, and in the positive or negative.

I think because you have history and an understanding of your depressive state, you may be finding it harder to relate, what you are currently experiencing as depression but "hard to be interested in anything.  No feelings, feel dead. Can't even cry" are huge red flags for depression!

Please see your dr (GP, Neuro, Psych etc) specifically about how you feel your personality has changed, there are various treatment plans that may actually help, so be brave and speak to your dr about what's going on.

Hugs...........JJ        

[essdipity]

What you describe is called a flat affect. It too can be a sign of depression, which maybe for you is a new way of experiencing it.

Are you seeing a professional about depression, and are you on medication? How long have you had MS?

We are here to listen, and to help if we can.

ess

[DkLadybug]

I have had depression since 93 .  This is not depression or anxiety.  My personality is completely different in the last four yrs. went from out going, happy, enjoyed everything.  Now I find it hard to be interested in anything.  No feelings, feel dead. Can't even cry.  

[HVAC]

Anxiety with MS can come from electrical changes in the brain do to the MS. It can also come from the fact MS is so unpredictable. I have a certain amount of anxiety caused by both. I use medication, therapy, hypnosis, and, mindfulness meditation. I also have a wellness coach who works on writing with me. Writing helps me change how I look at situations.

For example they found a lump in my breast three weeks ago on a CT Scan. I went home and wrote about it. At first I was anxious and pessimistic but as I wrote I reasoned things through and became optimistic. By the end I convinced myself it probably is not breast cancer since all my other cancer is shrinking. If it is I am not so scared of facing biopsies and the like.

I have a therapist who uses hypnosis and has taught me self hypnosis. I find this very valuable. I also discuss my anxiety with her. She helps me reason through things.

My pain clinic also address anxiety because most people with chronic pain and chronic illness have anxiety.

They prescribe anti anxiety drugs as well as pain medications. I will use the tools available to me.

My Cancer treatment also causes anxiety. Well I have the anxiety of life and death hanging over my head since my Cancer is so serious. I will be in chemotherapy for the rest of my life.

The scary part is not dying but living with Cancer without worrying about its progression. For me I have MS and Stage 4 Ovarian Cancer and an 87% chance of getting breast cancer. I can imagine the worst of all things or the best case scenario of all three it is my choice.

With mindfullness meditation I have actually become quite happy. I listen to a Monk called Thicht Nhat Hahn. He makes things very simple to understand. I have his cds and listen to them when I wake up with my mind racing in the middle of the night.

I guess my personality change has really been for the better. I was a mess when I joined the forum. I was so angry and anxious. I felt I had little control of my life.

Now I know the only things I can control are my attitude and my actions. I can be angry with out acting out my anger. I can be sad with out letting sadness consume me. I can accept that sometimes my brain is going to produce thoughts or feelings I do not expect. As long as I do not act on my feelings I am okay.

This has brought on a new happiness. From my Cancer my husband and I now cherish our time together. We do not take things for granted. I enjoy food so much better after not being able to eat. I taste it and love the texture. I appreciate the little things. Walking my dog or even doing house work.

I am not as hard on myself for things I do not get done. I am not as hard on those around me. I appreciate my friends so much more.

Since my diagnosis of MS I have made a lot of new friends via the MS Society. I have started riding horses and have new friends there. I have joined a women's tea group. We meet every Friday. My husband and I started going camping. I am training my second service dog. So the diagnosis has brought some good changes.

Alex

[cubbiesfan918]

This is a very familiar subject. I am and have always been very bubbly, talkative, funny, well liked by all. In 2008, I began developing an extreme case of anxiety with a side of depression. Every year since then, I've experienced something which I can now attribute to MS.

My Neuro/Primary always make a point to ask about moods and it is something we are all aware of now. It was a relief to have explanations for all of the changes I was experiencing. Medication helps as well :)

Best wishes to you in hopes that you are receiving the help you deserve. Do not be afraid or ashamed to seek help.

Lizzie

[karryon55]

Hi there & welcome to the forum.

I am sorry you are feeling so lousy. I can see that you are suffering from depression & you have had some personality changes that you don't like. Are you seeing a Counsellor etc?

I recently became depressed just after my dx & I can say I didn't like the person I was. I have now found something to help with the depression & am feeling more like my usual self. From what I've read you sound dragged down since your dx in 2008.

It is hard to be dx'd with something like MS & there will be times when you find things harder. My Doc recently said to me "you have a lot of medical conditions to live with but if you can keep up with a positive attitude you should do fine" & I think that is a very accurate statement to make. I know that I don't enjoy things when I'm depressed & all of my other conditions are just feeling worse.

It is hard though if you are struggling in a deep depression because it isn't always completely in your control to change your mood. Chemical changes in the brain need to happen & this needs an an antidepressant that works. It is also important to exercise if you are able as this will definitely help with depression & anxiety. In regards to personality changes I think you might find these alter with depression & you may feel more like the old you when the depression lifts.

I'm sorry if I'm not full of great advice but ultimately I am thinking if you can get your depression under some control then I truly believe you will not have so many problems. This is the hard part I know.

Take care & if there's anything I can do to help you then please let me know.

Karry.

[EJNILB]

Around the time of my initial symptoms, I had extreme anxiety and OCD. This was very new to me as I was always fairly carefree. Not irresponsible but certainly not consumed with some of the things I found myself obsessing about. I spent a lot of time worrying about things that never came to pass. I am doing much better now but strongly believe the personality changes were MS related.

[doublevision1]

Sorry, keep thinking of other points to make! Sometimes change in personality / mood can be due to something else going on. The tendency might be to pass everything off as MS but it's important to check out other possibilities, eg: vitamin deficiencies; low thyroid; in women, pre-menopause hormonal imbalance; in winter, seasonal affective disorder, etc. A thorough physical can be useful in identifying and ruling out other causes.

[doublevision1]

Oh, and for those who are able, exercise is really helpful to lift one out of a slump, whether it's just been a bad day, or a longer term low mood. For me, I find the more vigourous the workout, the better I feel mentally. I appreciate this outlet isn't possible for some, due to limitations from the disease. But it's great to do what you can, when you can.

[doublevision1]

It depends on what you mean by personality changes.

Some people with MS develop a symptom called pseudobulbar affect. This can result in inappropriate emotional outbursts, eg: laughing our loud at a funeral, or sobbing over something that isn't sad. This symptom is treatable with medication.

Some with MS will develop depression, at a rate higher than the general population and even compared to those with other kinds of chronic disease. In MS, depression can be due to difficulty dealing with the diagnosis and everyday challenges it brings, and/or it can be caused by actual damage in the brain due to the disease. Either way, again this is treatable, in fact depression is one one most easily treated symptoms in MS.

Personality changes can be due to disruption of sleep patterns which may occur due to chronic pain, anxiety, etc. and may present as irritability and frustration in someone who was normally cheerful and patient. Sleep of good quality and quantity is very important for everyone but especially those with chronic disease, and can be managed by addressed contributing factors.

Alex and Kyle have given good advice re: adaptation and mindset. Some find it more difficult than others to achieve that way of thinking, and therapy can be helpful for those who are struggling.

[kwarendorf]

Hi DL - Welcome to our group :-)

Learning you have MS is indeed sobering information. What you do with that info is a matter of choice.

As my hero Alex said, finding out you have a life long disease does not condemn you to a life of doom and gloom.

For me it was OK, I have MS. Now what? I do everything I can to keep the beast at bay and I continue to lead my life as close to normally as i can. I get up, get dressed and go to work M-F. I travel, I go to the movies, I live my life!

Yes, MS is an incurable disease of the central nervous system. To quote the 5 year old son of a colleague, "So what? Who cares? Big deal!"

:-)

Kyle

[HVAC]

What do you mean? With anything with illness the key is adapting.

I have had MS my whole life, over 40 years, and I also have to deal with depression. I have learned to work around the depression. First I take an antidepressant. Second I have learned to cope with depression. I have learned how to be happy in spite of depression. Third exercise helps with mythe depression.

I have learned my thoughts are just thoughts. My actions are the main thing. I get irritable and want to tell people off. Of course I do not tell people off. I do the opposite and go out of my way to be nice. Because of this I have a lot of friends which helps with the depression.

Some people who are out going become introverted and shy because of MS that is okay. You just adapt.

Where I get in trouble is if I let illness rule me. I have both MS and Cancer. People do not want to hear about my MS and Cancer. I have to have other things to talk about. I can talk about it some just not all the time. Listening or asking people about themselves works well.

I was at a party where I did not know half the people. I asked them questions about themselves. I really did not need to talk I just listened. I learned a lot.

With my relationship with my husband I have to work at it. I ask him how his day went when he comes home. I turn off the tv and really listen to him. I think before I just blurt things out to him.

We took a couples class through the MS Society and it was on communication. Communication is key to a marriage especially with MS.

Not sure if anything I have shared has helped.

Alex