Have there been any studies to learn if Multiple Sclerosis could be caused by a mental disorder?

Question

I am diagnosed as having Multiple Sclerosis.
I have learned that exacerbations can be caused by stress.
When I think back on the various what I now know to have been exacerbations, they were always at times when I was experiencing stress.
The earliest I can remember from about the age of 8, is motion sickness.
The major ones that I am now experiencing is visual impairment which was first diagnosed as optic neuritis; a stroke like exacerbation and for the past 3 years, I am experiencing a sensation from my waist down to and including my toes
that causes an imbalance in my gait to the extent that I need a walker to keep my balance when I walk.
After muscular exertion, I get very tired, winded and on occasion, lightheaded.
All of these exacerbations came at times when I was experiencing stress to some degree.
Is it possible that instead of stress being a trigger; stress and or some other mental disorder could be causing a chemical imbalance in the body that brings about MS?

Answer 1

no such correlation to mental disease

Answer 2

There has been not enough evidence to conclusively link MS to any one trigger, although stress does exacerbate flare ups for some (a lot). I have often wondered about your point. I too experience all of the same symptoms and also began at a very young age(10). I have disciplined myself to be as active as I can possibly be(who doesn't?) and try to exercise everyday that I am able. This has helped me GREATLY in the past few years in managing my symptoms.
The mental disorder trigger is very interesting especially since so many of us "MSer's" in particular experience such a diisproportionately large amount of clinical depression.

Answer 3

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Answer 4

As has already been said, there isn't enough evidence to suggest that stress can cause MS. That said, most MS experts agree that there are probably multiple factors that go into one's developing MS: some environmental trigger (as yet undetermined), and probably some inherited trait (also as of yet undetermined), both of which must be present in order for a person to develop MS.

The NMSS weighed in on the epidemiology, or the study of the patterns, of the disease. They note that there is indeed an environmental connection: "While many different viruses have been suggested, including rabies, herpes simplex virus, measles, corona virus, canine distemper virus, HTLV-1, Epstein-Barr virus, among others, none has yet been confirmed. Chlamydia pneumoniae, a bacterial agent, has also been suggested but never proven."

As for the generic factor, they also conclude: "The average person in the United States has about one chance in 750 of developing MS. But close (first-degree) relatives of people with MS, such as children, siblings or non-identical twins, have a higher chance—ranging from one in 100 to one in 40. The identical twin of someone with MS, who shares all the same genes, has a one in four chance of developing the disease. "

They go on to show that it's not entirely genetic, though... "If genes were solely responsible for determining who gets MS, an identical twin of someone with MS would have a 100% chance of developing the disease; the fact that the risk is only 1 in 4 demonstrates that other factors, including geography, ethnicity, and the elusive infectious trigger are likely involved as well."

They mentioned geography. It seems that people who live farther away from the Equator develop MS in far greater numbers than their Equatorial counterparts: "Worldwide, MS occurs with much greater frequency in higher latitudes (above 40° latitude) away from the equator, than in lower latitudes, closer to the equator. Even within one geographic area, however, where latitude and climate are fairly consistent, prevalence rates may differ significantly. These differences demonstrate that geographical factors are not the only ones involved."

So while they are not able to nail down specifically what causes MS, they are indeed able to show what potentially could cause it.

Answer 5

There isn't enough known yet to pin point the actual cause of MS.
It is however, well documented that emotional stressors can instigate exacerbations of the disease. High stressors causes the release of Cortisol into the blood stream, and this is supposed to be connected with the MS. Difficult to prove, but as good a theory as any other out there.

Answer 6

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