General Information

Other Important Influences

There are a number of outside factors that might make your mental skills less efficient:

• Having an infection, or being otherwise unwell. If this is the case, seek medical advice
• Some drugs given for MS symptom management, including drugs for continence management and spasticity. If you think this may be the case for you, discuss with your doctor
• Fatigue has been shown to affect mental skills in MS. Cognitive fatigue has more impact than physical fatigue on mental efficiency. Repeating the same mental task over and over again is especially vulnerable to fatigue in MS. You may find varying your mental tasks, taking breaks, being rested and choosing your best time of day all help. You are also less likely to employ your preparation and strategies when you are feeling fatigued, which reduces how well you can manage your cognitive difficulties.
  Download 'MS Trust Publication living with Fatigue'
• Anxiety may affect your mental performance, especially if you are “on the spot” and feeling tense. Try to stay relaxed and work round the immediate block.
• Depression in MS reduces performance on cognitive tasks that need a lot of concentration. It seems to take up capacity (“thinking space in your brain”) with worries and recurrent bleak thoughts. Like fatigue, depression can also reduce your motivation to employ strategies to manage your cognitive difficulties. Because depression gives people a negative view of the world, you are also likely to view your cognitive difficulties as worse than they are and underestimate the effectiveness of your management strategies. If you think that you may be suffering from low mood or depression, seek medical advice.