Have you lost control of your thoughts? Are physical reactions to worrying becoming a problem such as muscle tension, digestive problems, fatigue due to lost sleep or excessive worrying, unhealthy behavioral changes like avoidance, seclusion or obsessive repeating for perfection, insomnia, headaches, chronic pain, or depression? Have you turned to sedatives of medication, drugs or alcohol? Is anxiety interfering in your daily life? Has suicide crossed your mind?

It is time to check-in with the doctor. Anxiety and depression are often overlooked in patients with multiple sclerosis. Physical changes in the brain actually contribute to these disorders along with being human and experiencing life with all of its ups and downs. There can be other underlying medical causes for the anxiety as well including but not limited to: “heart disease, diabetes, thyroid problems, respiratory disorders, drug abuse or withdrawal, withdrawal from alcohol, anti-anxiety and other medications, chronic pain, irritable bowel syndrome, and rare tumors” (Mayo Clinic)

For more information read, “Anxiety” by Mayo Clinic – http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/anxiety/symptoms-causes/dxc-20168124. Image from groupthink.kinja.com.