b'Dear Reader,Since the rst ocial National MS Education and Awareness Month campaignin 2003, the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation has provided awareness kits throughoutthe month of March lled with educational materials. In years past, those materialswere only available by request. This year, for the rst time, we are able to distributethis important information to everyone who subscribes to MS Focus Magazine,thanks to the generosity of our sponsors. And how timely that is, considering thevital subject matter! Our theme for 2021 is Are You Okay? Your Feelings Matter.The time weve spent under the weight of a global pandemic has put additionalstrain on everyone. Isolation, nancial stress, and health anxiety have been rampant.In an October 2020 survey conducted on behalf of the American PsychologicalAssociation, nearly one in ve adults said their mental health was worse than theprevious year. The APA referred to this as a growing national mental health crisis.Why is it a crisis?Because large numbers of Americans were already not havingtheir need for support met. In the same survey, the majority of adults (61 percent)said they could have used more emotional support than they received during theprior 12 months. However, growing numbers did seek mental health treatment. In anAPA survey of mental health providers, 74 percent of those who provide treatmentfor anxiety said they had seen large increases in the number of patients during thecourse of the pandemic, as did 60 percent of those who provide treatment fordepression.Individuals with MS are at higher risk for certain mental health conditions,including depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. Less frequently, they may alsoexperience mood swings, personality changes, or uncontrollable laughing and crying.Because people with MS are at increased risk, combined with the fact that the eventsof the last year have worsened mental health for many, now is an important timeto ask, Are you okay?In this awareness kit, we will educate you about the mental health-related symptomsof MS, help you to know when its wise to seek treatment, look at ways to maintainyour mental well-being, and encourage you to take part in erasing the stigma ofmental health care in the MS community.Your feelings matter.Sincerely,The MS Focus Team 1'