DESCRIPTIONS OF PERSONS WITH MULTIPLE-SCLEROSIS, WITH AN EMPHASIS ON WHAT IS NEEDED FROM PSYCHOLOGISTS

A sample of 125 persons having had multiple sclerosis (MS) for an average of 16.5 years completed a battery of self-report tests assessing current behavioral and emotional functioning and mental health needs. The resulting data contradicted the stereotype many psychologists hold of persons with MS by consistently indicating that most of these persons had adapted successfully to having the disease. Those who had not successfully adapted expressed a need for help with two matters in particular: accepting the reality of the disease and learning how to best live with it. Working successfully with this population may minimally entail (a) operating with the belief that successful positive adjustment is a realistic goal, and (b) responding effectively to the most pressing specific problems presented for treatment.