I think there is both a physical and a psychological component to depression in MS - apart from the fact that the disease process messes around with your brain, the DMD's are known to have depression as a side effect too.

On top of that, it is chronic, unpredictable, can cause a great deal of pain, messes with your moods, frequently causes sleep and appetite disturbance, people who have it often have difficulty exercising (which is known to produce the 'feel-good' chemicals that help combat depression).

Sometimes we laugh or cry when we really shouldn't (emtional lability) - sometimes we feel blue because we can no longer do the things we used to be able to do, and sometimes we are black-and-blue because we fall over when our legs don't work properly.

I was fine (I think) for the first few years - I have a son with Asperger's Syndrome, and coping became just too hard, so I talked to my Neuro who was really good. Then I had open brain surgery to clip an aneurysm - and that kind of interference in my brain certainly caused things to go haywire.

Back to good for a few years - now I am back on anti-depressants - because life, work stress, spinal lesions, falling regularly and nerve pain are getting me down. Small doses - just enough to keep my head above water.

None of us should feel bad about this - our reasons don't come much better, but it is all individual. What one person copes with fine is another person's nightmare.

So, if anyone is feeling lousy, I say, get yourself some help - you have more than enough on your plate, so if this is something that can be helped, please do it.

Hugs

Lyn