Understanding Parkinson’s disease

Depression is a serious illness that can affect anyone at anytime in their life, it brings about feelings of sadness, hopelessness, anxiety and fatigue, people who suffer from Parkinson’s disease not only have to contend with the disease itself but over 50% of people suffering will also have to contend with depression too.

There is no clear reason which determines why those suffering from Parkinson’s have depression, though Parkinson’s is a debilitating, progressive disease in itself which when first diagnosed many people find hard to digest.

Despite the advancements in medicine over the past few years many cases of depression go undiagnosed and are often mistaken for underlying symptoms of Parkinson’s disease itself as symptoms brought about by depression overlap those of Parkinson’s. However once depression has been diagnosed it can be treated successfully along with Parkinson’s.

Symptoms of depression are

• Persistent feelings of sadness and anxiety.
• Feelings of guilt and helplessness.
• A loss of interest in hobbies.
• A loss of interest in sex.
• A decrease in energy.
• Difficulty in remembering and concentrating.
• Problems with sleep.
• Changes to the appetite or weight.
• Irritability and restlessness.
• Suicidal or negative thoughts.

If you have five or more of these symptoms and they last for longer than two weeks you may be suffering from depression, it is important you visit your Doctor who can then asses you for depression and suggest any relevant treatment.

A lot of the symptoms listed above are very similar to symptoms which Parkinson’s disease will normally bring about in the course of time, however your Doctor should be able to distinguish between what are symptoms of your disease and those which may be down to depression.

Getting treatment for depression

Coping with Parkinson’s is hard enough on its own so it is very important that if you think you may be suffering from depression too you get it treated, treatment for depression when combined with Parkinson’s disease should always be controlled by a mental health professional.

This is critical especially when anti depressant medication is needed and prescribed, this will help to alleviate any potential drug interactions between the anti depressant and your Parkinson’s medication.

Recovery from depression is a long process especially if you have been depressed for some time without fully realising it and the medications which are often prescribed for depression can take several weeks to start working to their full potential.

The amount of medication needed for your depression will vary and the dosage may have to be altered to suit you, but no matter how advanced your Parkinson’s is, treatment for depression can be very successful.