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Hi Brian and Carol, You are absolutely right about the emotional response aspect of PD. I have found EXACTLY the same. I called Julia in to see your memo - "See, it's not ME it's the PD!.... Brian agrees. (I'm a nice guy really!!!!!!) Seriously, I cannot endorse your statement more. I was always slightly excitable/volatile and since the PD took effect have been very much on a shorter fuse. Like you say, I calm down pretty rapidly afterwards, but at the time of the flare-up find it impossible to see the insignificance of the trigger event. Likewise I find that emotions are enhanced - love, tragedies etc in films or on news items have a deeper affect. It must be the Adrenaline connection. My neurologists agree that Adrenaline and dopamine are connected. We know that adrenaline prepares our bodies for fight or flight and boosts our confidence. If PD affects the release or correct handling of Adrenaline then this would cause symptoms such as flare-ups or, the reverse, lack of confidence. My question would be, is it our RELEASE of adrenaline which is faulty, ie releasing too much for the event or, the HANDLING of the adrenaline, ie a normal amount of adrenaline is released but our brains get swamped with it or fail to handle it correctly and over react. I favour the later but stand to be corrected. Thinking back, I think that my exhaustion at work was partly having to constantly handle crisis and staff problems while keeping cool and in control. At work I ended up with a reputation of being cool and calm in a crisis and never losing my temper no matter what the circumstances. Totally the opposite of my real character, in reality I was simmering inside. Anyway, I am lucky. I have a really understanding wife and we love each other dearly - But I definitely push her near to the limit at times!!! Since getting PD do you know what I have found the most therapeutic thing? Watching and going to the ballet!! Wonderfully relaxing, cannot get enough of it.!! Luckily Julia loves it too. >Subject: Tears > >Hello Carol, you have raised a question to which which I have no answer, but >it has prompted me to speculate a little: I used to think that the low >emotional threshold which I experienced was some side-effect of one or other >of the drugs which we take, but now I'm not so sure. Talking to other PWPs, >I have found enough evidence to suggest that this low emotional threshold may >actually be one of the most common of all the symptoms of PD. I think that >more than just tears are affected; I used to be a very calm sort of person >(the celebrated British stiff upper lip), but now I find that I flare up at >very little provocation, and cool down just as quickly, a well as fighting >back the tears at the slightest sign of an emotional scene on television. I >was never much of a boxing fan, but I did notice, while watching a fight >recently, that I could barely stay on my chair, and any furniture within >reach of my legs was in grave danger of demolition. > >Does anyone know of a reason for this phenomenon ? > >Regards, Brian Collins > Ernie Peters ([log in to unmask])