Therapist  Helps Lyme Sufferers And Their Families Cope

WILTON — “Doctors focus on curing the physical symptoms of Lyme disease, as well they should. But all too often the psychological toll of the illness is overlooked.”

So says Merry Frons, a psychotherapist who specializes in helping Lyme sufferers and those close to them deal with the emotional problems and increased stress brought on by Lyme.

 Ms Frons runs a free support group sponsored by the Wilton Lyme Disease Task Force for pre-teens and adolescents suffering from Lyme.  Formerly on the staff of the Family Counseling Center in Newtown, she recently announced the opening of her psychotherapy practice in Wilton for those needing more individual counseling in recognizing and overcoming what she calls “the hidden psychological side-effects of Lyme.”

The physical symptoms of Lyme have been well documented—fatigue, joint pain and headaches.  Yet the psychological side effects can be just as devastating – anxiety, depression, confusion and insomnia. “You’re sick and nothing is helping,” said Ms Frons. “Who wouldn’t be depressed? But it’s surprising how little attention is paid to that side of the equation.”

Even more insidious is when Lyme symptoms are confused with psychological problems. Some specialists are very skeptical when the symptoms of the disease refuse to conform to the known research, said Ms Frons. So they are all but convinced that the patient is really suffering from something other than Lyme. This is especially true in adolescents, some of whom really do have problems unrelated to Lyme. “It becomes extremely difficult to sort out what’s Lyme-related and what isn’t,” said Ms Frons. “That’s why early psychological assessment is crucial.”

Merry Frons should know. When her daughter Alexandra, now 14, began complaining of fatigue and headaches early last year, Ms Frons first assumed, as did the family pediatrician, that Alex’s symptoms were nothing more than the stresses brought on by adolescence. But as Alex’s headaches intensified, and her grades in school began to slip, the family suspected Lyme. Alex tested positive and began a long regimen of powerful antibiotics. It wasn’t until nearly nine months later that her symptoms disappeared. “We feel very fortunate that our daughter responded to the treatment,” said Ms Frons. “But the stress on the family and Alex was enormous.”

Perhaps the most difficult part of dealing with Lyme is its unpredictable nature. “Some days Alex would seem fine and we’d think she was cured,” Ms Frons said. “But then the symptoms would return. You never know when you’re out of the woods.”

There is a strong need for more education in the school system about how Lyme symptoms differ with each individual, said Ms Frons. “One of the big issues for kids that comes up in the support group is how to deal with school,” she says. “Kids can have good days and bad days. They can look fine but still be very sick.  It’s hard for teachers to understand the illness.  The symptoms can appear to be related to stress or other causes.”  Merry Frons explained how her daughter’s pediatrician first thought the symptoms were an adolescent’s reaction to stress. “It’s very difficult for kids to advocate for themselves when there is a lack of understanding about the disease.  There is such a need for education among school personnel.”

The good news is that kids do improve, but it can take a lot of time and enormous resources.  “The last thing these kids need is to be disbelieved on top of all the other problems the disease carries.”

Ms Frons is a licensed clinical social worker who specializes in working with adolescents and families and has a wide range of experience with various populations dealing with substance abuse, recovery issues and the psychological and emotional effects of Lyme disease.  She is a former program director for Volunteers of America in New York City and was a staff therapist at Hall-Brooke and Silver Hill Hospitals.  She was recently on the staff of the Family Counseling Center in Newtown, and a mental health consultant to the Danbury Head Start Programs.  Ms Frons is now in private practice in Wilton. For additional information, contact Merry Frons at 203-761-0696.