People are nearly twice as likely to experience mental illness in the years leading up to the onset of multiple sclerosis (MS), new research has shown. MS is an autoimmune disorder in which the immune system attacks the protective sheath (myelin) that covers nerve fibres, disrupting communications to and from the brain.

Recognising MS is often challenging for medical professionals because its symptoms are varied and easily mistaken for other conditions. The study, published in the journal Neurology, suggests that psychiatric conditions like anxiety and depression may be part of a prodromal phase of MS -- a set of preliminary symptoms and clues that arise before classic MS symptoms.