On April 29, 2020, we premiered a video on our Facebook page discussing strategies for managing mental health during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. For this discussion, we were joined by Australian psychologist, Dr Sally Shaw, who not only has significant expertise in this area, but also lives with multiple sclerosis herself.  Her understanding of all of the challenges faced makes this video a fantastic resource for the international multiple sclerosis community.

While we aren’t going to spoil the video itself, we can reveal a number of the key topics that were discussed during the interview.  These included:

  • General strategies for improving mental health
  • Specific mental health issues that may impact on people with MS during this time
  • Coping with uncertainty
  • Managing stress and anxiety
  • Ways to overcome isolation
  • Importance of sharing your experiences
  • Finding an ‘escape’ when it feels like there is none
  • Accessing more formalised support

If you have questions for either Dr Shaw or MStranslate co-founder, Brett Drummond, on any of the topics discussed during this broadcast, please comment below or email them to directly to Brett at
brett@mstranslate.com.au.

To read other articles MStranslate has written where mental health has been discussed, please click here.

2 Responses

  1. Muzamil

    Explaining mental health issues to friends?
    I’ve been dealing with self-harm for just under a year now. I’ve been seeing a counselor at my college, but haven’t been diagnosed with anything specific. The major problem is various sources of stress in my life, almost all of which are outside my control. I’m dealing with a very toxic family situation as well as recovering from a borderline abusive dating relationship.

    I’ve been trying to explain to friends that I’m not doing well, but I don’t want to tell them about my self-harm or go into details about my life. The problem is I can’t seem to communicate that I’m dealing with more than basic stress. I tend to get the responses of “you’re stressed, so is everyone else, that’s college,” “all teenagers have problems with parents,” and “yeah, bad relationships happen.” And that’s not how it is. I need some help from my friends, but I’m not sure how to communicate. And I’m scared to tell to many details because I don’t want to be known as “that crazy girl.”

    Reply

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