Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Awareness Week, running from 24-30 April this year, will see seven of the UK’s MS charities come together to ‘shine a spotlight’ on the disease and offer support to patients.
Affecting approximately 130,000 people in the UK, MS is a disabling, unpredictable neurological disease in which the immune system attacks the protective myelin sheath that covers the nerves and disrupts communication between the brain and the rest of the body.
There is no cure for MS, with treatments focusing on helping speed the recovery from attacks, modify the course of the disease and manage symptoms.
Alongside physical symptoms, MS can significantly affect patients’ mental health and overall well-being, with a recent survey from MS Trust revealing that 56% of respondents felt that the disease negatively impacted their mental health.
The survey also found that the burden of living with certain MS symptoms is a driving factor behind worsening emotional well-being. In particular, patients found that fatigue, walking difficulties and bladder and bowel problems created considerable anxiety.
With this in mind, the theme of this year’s MS Awareness Week is mental health, with the charities – MS Society, MS Trust, Overcoming MS, MS Together, Shift.ms, MS-UK and MS National Therapy Centres – calling on the MS community to use the hashtag #MSMakesMe to describe how the disease makes them feel.
A range of activities and support will also be provided by the seven charities throughout the week, including live webinars, mindfulness sessions, accessible exercise classes and drop-in support sessions.
Nick Moberly, chief executive of MS Society, said: “This campaign has been shaped by insights from the MS community, and we’re incredibly grateful to everyone who has shared their story.
“We know MS can be painful and relentless, but it can also be hopeful and transformative for some people. Through #MSMakesMe we want to show that no two people’s MS is the same and that it can impact everyone differently. Most importantly, we hope this will open up conversations about the reality of living with a chronic condition and signpost people to the support us, and the other charities offer.”