Managing PPS
Strategies to Successfully Manage PPS
A far too long and turgid article reports the result of questionnaires being used to measure resilience and depressive symptoms in 630 polio survivors over age 65 who were diagnosed with PPS. Forty percent (40%) of the polio survivors scored as moderately to severely depressed, but 53% of the sample rated their health as good or excellent.
“These findings reveal a paradox,” the authors admit. “How could depressive symptoms be quite pervasive, yet more than half the sample report good or excellent self-rated health?” the authors ask. And then they answer: the questionnaire that measures depression “may not fully control for the influence of fatigue and pain, known mediators of depression in disabled populations.”
If a questionnaire uses the presence of fatigue and pain to measure depression in polio survivors it’s more surprising that all subjects weren't identified as “depressed.” So bang goes their conclusion about polio survivors being moderately to severely depressed.
But, regardless of the shortcomings of the study, it did identify strategies to help successfully manage PPS that are worth a look. See if you already are using any of these and if some others could be helpful.