Living with Parkinson’s Psychosis: More than Just a Nightmare

What if someone in your family, or your partner, started seeing strange things, hearing noises, or being consumed with paranoia?

That's exactly what happened to Diane Sagen. Her husband thought there were creatures throughout their home tormenting him, and he repeatedly insisted that the locks needed to be changed, despite living in a very secure community.

Scary hallucinations and paranoid delusions are the norm for those who have Parkinson's disease psychosis (PDP), a common non-motor aspect of advanced Parkinson's disease.

Typically, PDP affects more than half of Parkinson's patients over the course of their disease.

According to new research from the 19th International Congress of Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders (MDS), PDP remains under-treated, especially in cases considered non-disruptive. It's also been determined that current treatment options are limited in their usefulness.

Currently, there is no FDA-approved therapy to treat PDP in the United States, but it can be addressed. Yet, only 10-20 percent of patients/caregivers ever report symptoms; possibly because they are embarrassed or because they do not associate them with Parkinson's.

Listen in as Diane Sagen shares her personal story with PDP and Neal Hermanowicz, MD, who helps explain what PDP is and the treatment options available.