Lorraine,

After 20 years with PD (my husband is 76) and going through the complete
loss of mobility as well as the daily activities loved for so many
years....we also came up against the mental changes that PD causes...since
that time we have dealt with several psychologists and even psychiatrists.
Our experience is:

There is nothing to "fear" from psychologists (they do not prescribe
medications), and they can provide insights into your thiniking that may be
resulting in behavior that actually can make the coping with Parkinson's
that much more difficult. The greatest fear my husband had when the mental
changes started coming on him is that people would consider him
"crazy"....he has since overcome that feeling and it has given us much
greater freedom and peace in our life.

By understanding the thinking processes and how our brain works it becomes
easier to focus on how to find real remedies that can help your health. My
husband and I now recognize that his thinking and perceptions were affected
by the lack of Dopamine production even before the physical symptoms were
seen and diagnosis made.

There are tremendous self-help and interactive information and tools on the
internet that can help greatly. You probably know as much about yourself as
any psychologist ever will - do you have depression, memory loss, anxieties,
etc....all of these may need addressing, regardless of whether you have PD
or not. My husband has gone a long way in his understanding of himself and
his desires to make changes mentally and spiritually in order to find the
way to keep the Parkinson's from dominating his life. All of your social
contacts in friends and family can also be helpful along this line.
However, the visits for professional evaluations were great learning
experiences in themselves. The last pscyhologist we visited talked with my
husband for over an hour and acknowledged that he did not have a true
"dementia" - that the PD symptoms tend to mask the ability to not appear as
though dementia was involved (something doctors debate among
themselves)...this came from an older doctor who had trained the younger
doctors who had done earlier independent evaulations and could only offer
"mild dementia" as a conclusion to their "tests". That conversation did
more toward "no harm" being done to my husband than all the tests possibly
could. We have learned to keep perspective in all we do by learning,
learning, learning....

If your fears are related to the medications for disorders that are being
used - you have a justified concern. We have found through 17 years on
medications and now almost 3 years on nutritional changes that the power of
nutrition (especially glyconutrition) is real in its ability to help the
body, including the brain, to revitalize and heal itself (also debated among
doctors)...

Thank you for your important question and the opportunity to share with you
some of what we have discovered. If you wish to discuss more specifics
concerning the mental and physical aspects of PD, please feel free to call
or write anytime!

Marie
352-490-7052
www.questforcure.net
----- Original Message -----
From: <nobordersforparkinsondisease@yahoogroups.com>
To: <nobordersforparkinsondisease@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, February 14, 2006 1:17 AM
Subject: [No borders for Parkinsondisease] Digest Number 706


> There is 1 message in this issue.
>
> Topics in this digest:
>
> 1. Psychologist use in Parkingsons
> From: "buckybear4" <buckybear4@...>
>
>
> ________________________________________________________________________
> ________________________________________________________________________
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Mon, 13 Feb 2006 23:44:23 -0000
> From: "buckybear4" <buckybear4@...>
> Subject: Psychologist use in Parkingsons
>
> Hi All,
> Have any of you ever had a Dr. suggest you go to a psychologist to
> help you?? My Dr. has suggested this a couple of times for me. I was
> just diagnosed last year but have apparently had it for a long time.
> I am 71 and fear psychologists. Please respond if you have any
> experience with this. Thanks, Lorraine
>
>
>
>
>
> ________________________________________________________________________
> ________________________________________________________________________
>
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