Memory and Behavioural Changes in PD Patients

Some of the most intense penalties of Parkinson's disease may affect not from motor indications, but from psychiatric and behavioural difficulties. These conditions often go unseen and untreated. Such conditions are mainly caused due to the disease medications. Here are some common psychiatric and behavioural changes in Parkinson’s patients.

Mental Changes

While Parkinson's disease essentially affects the aptitude to move about and do work, in some patients, mental changes do start to appear. These mental changes are often proportionate to the amount of medication being taken as well as the duration of the treatment.

 1.    Dementia

Loss of memory is one mental symptom that can either be drug induced or it can be the result of another disorder running corresponding with the Parkinson's disease. The disease does not cause dementia in itself. Yet dementia can be caused due to drugs and dosage needed to treat Parkinson’s. Reduction in dosage is one advised cure for dementia. In such a case, the patient may have to accept increased rigidity.

2.    Hallucinations

Some patients put on prolonged treatment with some medications of Parkinson’s, might develop hallucinations. Those individuals may see long deceased relatives. They may also start questioning the fidelity of their partners. Although such visions are harmless, the patient may feel anxious. To treat hallucination, the doctor can reduce the dosage of treatment drugs.

3.    Confusion

When a patient is uncertain of the time, place or his/her identity, they are termed as confused. Although Parkinson's is hardly the cause of confusion, the treatment with anti-Parkinson medication can be the chief cause. Positive home care is advised in such a case. A calm environment should be provided to reduce all forms of stress.

Behavioural Changes

1.    Depression

About half the patients with Parkinson's show signs of depression. Typically, it is mild to moderate in strength, but about 5 to 10 percent of the cases may be a severe form of depression. Research shows that despair in patients occurs partially from neurochemical changes in the brain. This is during the process of the disease.

To rightly identify this mood chaos, doctors look for individual clues such as continued feelings of sadness, insignificance, guilt, or bad temper. This mood can be cured with psychotherapy and drugs.  In worse cases, electroconvulsive therapy may be essential.

2.    Compulsive behaviour

Employment of Parkinson's drugs, chiefly dopamine agonists, has on instance led to uncontrollable behaviour such as gambling, shopping, or even compulsive repetition of certain traits such as gathering or adding particular objects. The solution again is to reduce or change medication.

3.    Anxiety

Patients with the disease may often undergo nervousness when their medication drugs start wearing off. They start to fear that the subsequent dose will not be able to control their indications. They may even start to fear that they will be abandoned in public, powerless to move well. Intense anxiety can produce frightening panic attacks that may leave the patient unable feeling as if they are having a heart attack.

Care from family and friends is the best solution to support the patients during these situations. Don’t ignore any of the above conditions and consult your doctor to get support on the management of these situations.