Researchers Say Unexpressed Anger in MS Patients Tied to Nervous System Damage

Rome, Italy (AHN) – According to a recent study people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) feel more than twice as much withheld anger as the general population and this could have an adverse effect on their relationships and health.

Italian researchers assessed 195 patients with MS, using a range of scales that measure anger, depression and anxiety, and then compared them with the general population. They found that while patients experienced almost twice the normal level of withheld anger and exerted low levels of control on their anger, their expressed anger levels were similar to the general population.

This fact combined with the fact that the elevated withheld anger levels were not related to the severity of the patients’ MS, suggests that these inconsistent changes were caused by nervous system damage, rather than an emotional reaction to the stress of the disease.

“We believe that the higher levels of withheld anger shown by the study subjects is due to demyelination, loss of the substance in the white matter that insulates the nerve endings and helps people receive and interpret messages from the brain” says lead researcher Dr Ugo Nocentini from the IRCCS S Lucia Foundation in Rome.

“The way we process anger is controlled by complex interconnections between the subcortical and cortical systems, notably the amygdale and basal ganglia and the medial prefrontal cortex. We believe that the demyelination process that causes the root symptoms of MS also disrupts the pathways that control how we deal with withheld anger.”

According to the study researchers found that MS patients:

* Were more than twice as likely to experience high levels of withheld anger, with 60 percent of patients recording the same high levels as the top 25 percent of the general population.
* Exerted a low level of control on their anger, with just 11 per cent of patients reporting the same high levels of control compared to the top 25 percent of the general population.
* Were about the same as non MS patients when it came to expressed anger, with 30 per cent of patients reporting the same high levels as the top 25 percent of the general population.

“Our findings clearly show that anger characteristics in MS patients differ from those observed in the general population and the overall results surprised the research team” concludes Dr Nocentini.

The authors conclude that damage to the fibers in the areas of the brain where anger issues are processed is the most logical explanation. They also say the findings have important implications for clinical practice.

Most notably anger disrupts interpersonal relationships and this is particularly true for withheld anger, which might go unrecognized by other people. Medical experts say withheld anger has been reported to be associated with physical problems, in particular high blood pressure and vascular disorders, and may have a negative effect on the general health of MS patients.