Vocational disability and rehabilitation in multiple sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis represents a significant cause of vocational disability among young and middle age adults. As a group, M.S. patients are frequently well educated, highly trained and possess intact families but have had to leave their former occupations. While many unemployed M.S. patients are willing and able to work, they are not now receiving the vocational rehabilitation services they need to reenter the work force. Physicians frequently see M.S. patients, but they do not often refer those patients for vocational rehabilitation services. Unemployment associated with multiple sclerosis is a significant social complication of the disease. While the physician cannot cure or halt the progress of the disease, he or she can assist the M.S. patient in obtaining the specialized help necessary to re-enter the job market.