Business of LifeIf you were to name diseases that seem terrifying to just about everyone, Lou Gehrig's disease would be at the top of the list.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is incurable. It destroys the brain's ability to control muscles through neurons, gradually causing physical decline until the patient is unable to breathe. Some 30,000 Americans live with ALS and about 5600 are newly diagnosed each year.
Yet, remarkably, ALS patients with advanced ALS who have trouble breathing and probably only six months to live are not greatly depressed even though death is very much on their minds.
Steven Albert, associate professor at Columbia University and co-author of a study published in the July 12 issue of Neurology says,
"The broader message is that even when people are dying, they can have satisfying lives and appreciate a lot of things."
Death was on the minds of many of the patients, however. Of the 53 who died during the study period, 23 reported thinking about ending their lives. Three asked caregivers for relief from pain even if it hastened their deaths.
"For those people who are able to exercise this control over dying and report very high levels of suffering, their mood improves when they realize they could work out an arrangement and control the time of death," Albert said.
Dr. Catherine Lomen-Hoerth, director of the University of California at San Francisco's ALS Center, said the findings reflect what she sees on the job. "Most patients are quite comfortable with death," said Lomen-Hoerth, who wrote a commentary accompanying the two new studies. "It comes with having a lot of time to prepare, and from clinics and hospice professionals addressing the issue with patients and families."