Making the Connection Between Brain and Behavior: Coping with Parkinson's Disease »

While patients and families are aware of the physical challenges that accompany Parkinson’s disease, few are prepared for the common behavioral issues that impact their quality of life, including depression, anxiety, dementia, paranoid delusions, and sleep disorders. This book, the only one of its kind, focuses entirely on an area that most doctors overlook. Written in layman’s terms, it helps readers understand and cope with a wide variety of Parkinson’s-related behavioral issues and offers guidance on communicating with the healthcare team.

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Reviewer:Lisa M. Shulman, MD(University of Maryland School of Medicine)
Description:The last 15 years have been characterized by escalating interest and research in the so-called "nonmotor" symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Nonmotor symptoms including depression, sleep disturbance, and cognitive problems previously took a back seat to the well known motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease, such as bradykinesia, gait impairment, and tremor. This book, written by a well known expert and researcher on nonmotor symptoms, is evidence of the rising prominence of psychiatric and behavioral issues among patients and physicians.
Purpose:The purpose is to educate patients and family members about the relationship between Parkinson's disease and behavior. These important objectives are achieved.
Audience:The book is written for lay readers, primarily people with Parkinson's disease and their families.
Features:The author, Dr. Joseph Friedman, has a pleasing, conversational writing style and he communicates complex medical issues with ease. Patient vignettes, examples, and tables are used effectively to illuminate the material and improve understanding. Dr. Friedman distills complicated and controversial medical issues into easily digestible discussions. He is the rare physician who is able to put himself in the patient's shoes, with discussions of common concerns that hit just the right tone. Another successful strategy is a brief paragraph at the beginning of each chapter, summarizing each topic. It is fair to say that the narrow focus of a book on behavioral issues is not for everyone. The average reader is likely to be looking for a book that gives the big picture, and most general books on Parkinson's disease include chapters with good discussions of behavioral issues. At times, long wordy passages are devoted to relatively narrow topics such as the "Parkinson's personality." Unfamiliar medical terminology, such as "clinical fluctuations" or "deep brain stimulation," slip into the text, sending most readers to the glossary, where some, but not all of these uncommon phrases will be found. Some chapters, such as those on driving, caregivers and family, and "Why You Should Not Go to the Emergency Department" are important, but quite a stretch from the book's subject of brain and behavior.
Assessment:Nonetheless, if you have special interest in the interactions between Parkinson's disease and behavior, you will enjoy this book. Dr. Friedman reveals to readers how doctors think in an enjoyable and easy to understand format.

Foreword     ix
Preface     xi
Introduction     xiii
Prologue: No More Nagging!     xvii
Overview     1
Personality     7
Fatigue     18
Apathy     35
Depression     46
Anxiety     60
Dementia     70
Hallucinations     83
Delusions     96
Confusion and Delirium     105
Compulsive Behavior     114
Sleep     121
Surgery for Parkinson's Disease     136
Driving     145
Caregivers and Family     154
Why You Should Not Go to the Emergency Department (And Why You Should!)     159
Winning the Battle but Losing the War: Many Silver Linings Are in Clouds     167
Chemical Imbalance or Moral Weakness? Personal Responsibility in a Time of Brain Science     170
Glossary     174
Index     185