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Judy, you wrote: > perhaps your word sadness describes the very real feelings one gets at the > onset of parkinsons and I guess as the thing progresses > maybe we a re dealing with semantics I have had PD for 13+ years now and I am still sad occasionally - but, thank God, not depressed - and certainly not clinically depressed. In my experience (and I have experienced CD vicariously through having to deal with it in others) the difference between sadness and depression, far from being one of semantics, is profound. My concern is that because the symptoms of PD (in particular the mask with its frozen, down turned, features ) make us look depressed it is assumed that we are depressed. As the disease progresses the problem is exacerbated by our reduced ability to communicate and so more and more decisions are made for us - including decisions about how we 'must' be feeling. This could lead PWP being proscribed medication they do not need for a condition they do not have. I am in no way trying to belittle CD. From what I have seen of it, it is a terrible, destructive force and the medications used to combat it are powerful drugs. It is precisely for that reason that I don't want them in my system without good reason. Equally, if I did need them I most certainly would want them in my system. Determining which is the true situation for any given PWP is of crucial importance to them and is not achieved by assuming that they are or re not depressed. That determination should be made by qualified professionals. This is not an easy problem for anyone. Dennis. PS - Yes I am in Australia:-) > > >From: Dennis Greene <[log in to unmask]> > >Reply-To: Parkinson's Information Exchange Network > ><[log in to unmask]> > >To: [log in to unmask] > >Subject: Re: depression > >Date: Mon, 8 May 2000 05:52:56 +0800 > > > >The subject of depression and PD is perennial. Some years ago I posted the > >following as a gentle reminder that whilst it is arguable that 100% of PWP > >look depressed it is a matter of record that only 40-60% are depressed. Or > >to put that another way 40-60% of PWP do not experience long term > >depression. > > > >+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ > > > > Ok - who hid the Prozac > >-------------------------------------- > > > >Thoughts on being told that everyone with Parkinson's will suffer from > >Clinical Depression > > > >(Note: There is a school of thought, to which I don't subscribe, which sees > >clinical depression as an inevitable companion to Parkinson's Disease. One > >of its adherents suggested that it would be a good idea for all PWP to keep > >antidepressants around "just in case" ) > > > >I'm starting to get really excited. I'm not depressed. Sad at times, given > >to wishing things were different at times, but not depressed. Questions > >crowd me: > > > >* Does this mean I don't have Parkinson's Disease? > > > >* Does this mean I do have Parkinson's Disease but someone else got my > >share of depression? > > > >* Does this mean that I am wrong in believing that sadness is a > >legitimate emotion in its own right? > > > >* Am I doing a Stevie Smith (Not waving, but drowning)? > > > >* If I convince myself that I'm too happy to have Parkinson's Disease, > >but then find out I really do have Parkinson's Disease, will I, at last get > >depressed? > > > >Wait a minute----all these questions have really got me worried. Hey! Was > >that the tiniest tendril of depression slipping into the back of my mind? > > > >Yes---Yes it is----I belong again. > > > >Now then, where are those antidepressants I kept around "just in case"? > > > > > >+++++++++++++++++++++++++++ > >Dennis Greene 50/dx 37/ onset 32 > >There's nothing wrong with me that dealing with PD won't fix! > >e-mail - [log in to unmask] > >Website - http://members.networx.net.au/~dennisg/ > >(most recent update - Feb 2000) > >+++++++++++++++++++++++++++ > > ________________________________________________________________________ > Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com >