The emotional states of the patients matter a lot when it comes to recovery and the healing process. Moreover, bell palsy or any other facial palsy can, over time, hinder the confidence of the patients and can also have a negative impact on the mental state of the patient.
People with facial paralysis may experience difficulties with facial expressions, vision, communication, eating, and drinking. It can also cause bodily pain and suffering. All of these symptoms add up to an emotional level as well.
So without further ado, let’s take a deep look at bell’s palsy and the emotional states associated with it.
Depression and Anxiety
According to a recent study from Oregon State University, people with facial paralysis are more prone than the general population to experience melancholy and anxiety, especially if the paralysis happens later in life rather than at birth.
Depression is a state of sadness, feeling weak and emotional for a long period of time i.e, weeks or months. Meanwhile, anxiety fear,s or worry about how people will think about them and how they will treat moving forward.
People with facial paralysis had clearly altered looks, regardless of when the paralysis began, and because of that, they experience a great degree of stigma and discrimination—this overtime build-ups to form anxiety and depression.
Affect on Recovery
More research still needs to be done on the effect of depression and anxiety on the recovery of bell’s palsy, but some small studies suggest that depression and anxiety can worsen the pain the body experience, which can induce stress that hinders the healing process.
Stress
Stress is the emotional state experienced by almost everyone in their lives, but this is doubled for the person going through pain every day, Stress is a feeling of tension emotionally and physically.
People who experience pain for a long period of time are prone to develop stress and anger issues. Stress may have a variety of negative effects on our bodies. Stress has a tremendous influence on our neurological system, which impacts numerous functions in our body. Let’s look at how chronic stress might influence facial palsy healing.
Affect of Recovery
When you stress, your immune system weakens, and any hidden infections in your body have a chance to come to the surface. It might be an infection in your ear, such as the herpes virus or bacterial infection.
Vascular spasms can also cause by stress. Muscles can contract as a result of stress, and when blood vessels constrict, the flow of blood to the face decreases, potentially damaging your facial nerve.
Moreover, it can prolong the recovery process as well. Stress affects the body more than any emotional state. It can also cause hypertension and other stress-induced problems. Talk to your doctor if you experience stress, so you can get treatment as soon as possible.
Conclusion
Patients with facial palsy experience negative tension, anxiety, and sadness as a result of their condition. Patients avoid making social interactions. As a result, the communication problem is exacerbated. It can affect the recovery process in many ways. Fortunately, The Facial Disability Index is a short questionnaire that an otorhinolaryngologist can use to detect such dysfunctions.
