Personality Changes & Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurological disorder that causes movement problems, tremors, stiffness, rigidity, and difficulty walking and talking. In addition to physical challenges, people with Parkinson's, and their caregivers, must often deal with emotional problems and personality changes.

Cause

• Parkinson's disease decreases dopamine, a brain chemical that influences mental health. Too much dopamine, rather than too little, can cause symptoms of schizophrenia.

Symptoms

• The Cleveland Clinic lists emotional symptoms including anxiety, confusion, fatigue, sleep problems and tension.

Mood

• Dr. Irene Richard, senior medical adviser to the Michael J. Fox Foundation, writes that depression occurs in up to 40 percent of patients, and may be an early symptom of Parkinson's disease. Mood swings similar to "bipolar disorder on a daily basis" can also appear.

Emotions

• According to PDCaregiver.org, feeling irritable for no reason can be among the first signs of Parkinson's, and some people develop fearfulness, insecurity and reluctance to engage in new situations. Others may lose motivation and become dependent, and normally cheerful people can become pessimists.

Medications

• The Cleveland Clinic reports that medications used to treat Parkinson's can sometimes cause hallucinations, delusions and paranoia.

Treatment

• As of 2009, research into treatment options was ongoing. Therapies include antidepressants and anti-psychotic medications. Among antidepressants, Reuters reported on March 18, 2009, that tricyclics may be more effective than SSRIs.