The MS Society, along with five other multiple sclerosis (MS) charities, has heavily urged the UK government and the NHS to improve mental health support with new recommendations to improve it for those suffering from the condition.
MS is a lifelong condition that affects the brain and spinal cord, causing a range of symptoms, including problems with vision, arm or leg movement, sensation or balance.
The charities, the MS Society, MS Trust, Overcoming MS, MS-UK, Shift.MS and MS National Therapy Centres, have collaborated to support the MS community by creating a joint policy position on mental health.
The joint policy position was released earlier this month clarifying the struggles faced when living with MS. Furthermore, it lists several policy recommendations, including the need for NHS neurological conditions, mental health pathways, newly developed mental health training packages for the neurology workforce and patients with MS and carers to receive an annual comprehensive review to cover all their needs.
With over 130,000 people living with MS in the UK, half of them will experience depression at some stage in their lives. Diagnosis can be lengthy and difficult, and can have a marked effect on patients’ mental health, yet many are not able to access the support and care they need.
The MS Society carried out interviews with people living with MS, discovering how it affected their mental health. Flare-ups affecting their well-being and ability to do day-to-day tasks as well as having poor mental health affected their symptoms further.
Jordan, who is 29 and was diagnosed with relapsing MS in 2019, said: “The doctor said to me ‘there’s no cure for MS’ and I was sent home with two charity websites to look up treatment options. I felt alone, with no idea where to go for support. My mental health was overlooked and ignored.”
The charity found that healthcare professionals were not offering good quality mental health support due to a lack of understanding and time to discuss it, as well as high clinical workloads.
The chief executive of the MS Society, Nick Moberly, commented: “We’re urging the government and the NHS to implement our recommendations to improve mental health support. These steps will make sure all people with MS and their loved ones get the right support when they need it.”