The Internet as antidepressant. (Let Me Tell You ...

As I looked out at the wet, gray morning today, I decided to snuggle up with my computer and do some research on MS via the Internet. Since I retired from work almost two years ago, my computer has become my friend and ally.

I have found out about new drug trials for MS, and I've ordered hinges to widen doorways for wheelchair access in my home. I have accessed travel agents specializing in travel for people with disabilities, and rented balloon-tired wheelchairs for use on the beach. I have ordered courtesy copies of magazines for people with disabling conditions. I have found out about a researcher doing innovative work with physical therapy and MS. The list is endless, limited only by the amount of time and energy I devote to my searching and researching.

Sometimes it is difficult to remain optimistic with a disabling condition described by my doctor as one "for which there is no known cure." As these words ring in my head, I find that I can rise above the sense of doom and gloom by reading about a new drug trial or expanding my knowledge base about an MS symptom which is particularly troublesome for me at the moment.

I would like to share a sample of my explorations through several Web sites I have found especially useful. The first is a government Web site that goes by the cheerful name Grateful Med: <http://igm.nlm.nih.gov/>. The "nlm" part stands for National Library of Medicine and the "nih" part stands for National Institutes of Health.

Grateful Med has everything you could ever want to know about MS, from articles in professional journals (Medline), to consumer health information (Medlineplus), to links to MS organizations around the world. All of the FDA drug trials currently recruiting patients (for many illnesses and medical conditions) as well as drug trials already in progress are also described on Grateful Med.

Paralyzed Veterans of America <www.pva.org> is an organization whose primary mission is to provide services for veterans with spinal cord injury or disease. That includes MS. Many of their materials can be downloaded to your computer or sent to you through the mail free of charge. PVA has free books of particular interest to people with MS--although some were written for professionals, you may find parts quite readable. You can call their publications center at 1-888-860-7244 and get their publications and videotapes catalog.

<www.wheelchairnet.org> is a project of the University of Pittsburgh's Rehabilitation Engineering program. It has links to information on everything you could want to know about wheelchair technology, including the experimental IBOT (a wheelchair that climbs stairs). The range of subjects seems endless, from accessible living, travel, safety, reviews, to discussion groups on mobility products.

MS researchers and clinicians have known for years that depression is frequently a part of the MS symptom picture. My personal experience is that depression can be a slippery slope made worse by pessimism and lack of information. I can stop my own slide by staying informed about new research advances in neurology and cellular biology, and about new drug trials and treatments. The information reminds me how much work is going on and how many dollars are being spent worldwide to treat and find a cure for this chronic illness. For me, using the Internet can be a powerful antidepressant!

GET THE FACTS

Unsure of information about MS you've found on the Internet? You can always rely on the National MS Society to help verify or refute claims made elsewhere. Visit us at our newly designed Web site: <www.nationalmssociety.org> or give us a call at: 1-800-FIGHT-MS (1-800-344-4867).

Jane Gershaw is retired from a 25-year career as a clinical psychologist with the VA Medical Center in Syracuse, New York, where she still lives, braving the winters using forearm crutches or a wheelchair. She is married to a high school physics teacher and has two children, one in high school and one in college.