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John Levin MD wrote: > I have a patient ... 63 ... asked me when she should tell ... > close friends.... concerned about people making a fuss or being > pitied.... about gossip. This is a subject that relates to any disease, about which there there needs to be more exploration and discussion in general, and, I suspect, in which there is little or no preparation in medical schools. While it's no shame to have PD, it's true that other people's responses can be a problem. Someone with PD addressing a group at a health fair my wife attended said his biggest PD problem was having tremor in public, due to what he thought would be people's reactions. Like me, your patient sounds like someone who was raised under the "what will other people thing..." principle. People will find out one way or another. By telling there is more control over what people will think. I know this in principle, but I have some reluctance to act on it. Even well-meaning others may not know what to say or how to behave, and I'm not all that good at receiving offers of help or awkward expressions of genuine concern. I suspect that privacy is a way of dealing with such inadequacies. I still haven't told everyone where I work, so as to avoid the awkward situations and not make an issue of my condition, although I suspect word has gotten around somewhat via the grapevine. All my social friends and acquaintenances know I have PD (due more to my wife's openness than my own admissions) and I haven't had any problems there. Your patient's close friends must have their own health problems. Are they keeping these a secret too? Maybe she will be an inspiration to them to be more open and relaxed about their own problems. Phil Tompkins Hoboken NJ age 60 / dx 1990