There are probably more than a few people who have PD and Schizophrenia
in the same family. Debra, you definately have had a 'double whammy',
with your father having PD and your mom being schizo. Judging from the
ages, you were probably around the same age as me (6/7 years old) when my
brother was diagnosed.
I am going to sit back and deliver a mild 'I remember when' speech
and hope no-one throws virtual tomatoes at me. When my brother was first
diagnosed, he was, of course, committed to a psychiatric institute, heavily
medicated, submitted to electro-schock therapy. He had years of psycho-
analysis, both individual and family. This included, blaming him, blaming
my mother, blaming the family, blaming whoever. Basically, years of pain.
But about 15-20 years ago we started to hear about the possibility of
schizophrenia being caused by a chemical imbalance. These were still years
of pain for my brother (and the rest of us to a lesser degree). Skip to
4 years ago, my sister was reading an article about a new medication to
treat schizophrenics, brought it to the attention of his doctor and, with a
couple of adjustments, have found the BEST treatment for him. He is now
functioning,
for the first time in his adult life. Although, he is functioning at the
level of a 15 year old (the age his illness first took hold). The years
in between have been lost.
And now we know about a dopamine connection between pd and schizophrenia.
Is there a PD Gene? The answer to that is on the horizon. Is there a
better treatment for PD? The answer is on the horizon as well. Maybe the
talk about all these different new treatments may seem overwhelming to some,
especially when getting out the front door can be a major milestone. However,
it is the future that holds the promise. Unfortunately, for some, like my
brother, it comes late. But for the rest of us, maybe even including me.....
Lena Holmes partime caregiver for Ilmi, 74/2
Oakville, Ontario, Canada
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