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Professor Rona Moss-Morris in a meeting room talking with two colleagues

The mind and body as equal partners

Caroline Howlett

Is mental health as important in MS as physical health? Health psychologist Professor Rona Moss-Morrie believes it is. Research Network volunteer Caroline Howlett spoke to her to find out more.

I’ve always struggled with anxiety, constantly weighing up all the possible outcomes of any action, imagining the worst-possible-case scenario. MS has only made this worse. But I still tend to think of my mental health as completely separate from my MS.

Professor Rona Moss-Morris believes mental and physical health go hand-in-hand when it comes to living well with MS.  

Finding your condition overwhelming

Rona tells me she’s seen time and again how the uncertainty of a long-term health condition can affect psychological wellbeing.

Of course, feeling distressed is a normal part of life. And sometimes, she says, “it’s about accepting something distressing is happening and allowing yourself to feel that.”

But distress can become overwhelming and stop you enjoying, or even just doing, things. That’s when Rona believes more support should be available.

I know only too well what it’s like when the different bits of MS – pain, fatigue, managing your medicines - get on top of you. “In those really critical times” Rona says, “people may need help to cope with finding their illness overwhelming”.

Looking at the whole picture

It can be hard to access mental health support services in the UK.

Part of the problem, Rona says, is “sometimes people think solutions are purely biomedical and once we’ve nailed the biomedical problem, everything else is solved.”

Rona believes supporting people to take the right medications is vital. But we should combine that with taking into account their beliefs, behaviours and goals.

Be kind to yourself

Rona wants to support people to get their bodies and minds as healthy as possible. We know there’s lots of health benefits of keeping active, eating a balanced diet, or practicing mindfulness.

But she’s keen to point out no one should feel guilty for not doing these things. “We certainly don’t want to give the message that if you do all this your MS will go away” she says. “It’ll hopefully help you manage your MS better and keep you stronger, but we absolutely aren’t suggesting you’re a failure if you can’t do it”.

This will come as a relief to those of us who like enjoying a glass of wine or a day in front of Netflix. Especially given the difficulty of fitting in a tai chi or mindfulness session, when simply getting dressed can be a challenge.

An ideal world

So what would Rona like to see in an ideal world?

For her, the key change would be helping people look after their mental health as equally as managing their physical health.

“When we’re thinking about routine treatment” she says, “not just the condition itself, but its impact on your whole life, your relationships, your emotions, should be seen as equally important.”

Talking therapy for MS

Rona’s research explores how psychological and behavioural therapies can help people with long-term health conditions like MS.

She’s leading a new trial investigating the effectiveness of COMPASS, a programme which combines online training and talking therapy for people with MS.

Rona hopes that it will help address the mental health issues related to MS, including reducing stress, anxiety, and uncertainty.

Find out more about COMPASS

Our MS Helpline gives emotional support and information to anyone living with MS. We’re here Monday to Friday, 9am to 7pm except bank holidays. Call 0808 800 8000 or email [email protected]