Is Depression a Symptom of PD or a Side Affect of Not Doing Well?

According to a paper by the Movement Disorder Society, 50% of Parkinson’s Patients are depressed.  Most of us would expect a patient to be depressed when things are not going well.  But, in fact, in for some patients with Parkinson’s, depression is actually a Non-Motor symptom of the disease.  Depression can occur even when everything else is going well. 

What are Non-Motor Symptoms?

Non-motor symptoms are secondary symptoms of Parkinson’s disease that are not related to movement.  

What Can You Do?

If you are the caregiver and notice that your loved one’s personality has changed: Your loved one is experiencing mood swings, lack of interest in things s/he used to enjoy, sleep or eating changes, or a feeling that life isn’t worth living, it might be a sign of depression.  Patients may be aware of these symptom or they may not. 

Dr. Weintraub recommends that your first step is to bring the issue to the attention of the patient, and suggest s/he talks about it with the doctor.  If you find it difficult to bring up, print out the Non-Motor Symptom Recognition sheet and ask your loved one to complete it.  Then make sure your loved one shows the sheet to the doctor on the next visit.