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Dear Rachel, > He has terrible anger - to the point where he has threatened to kill me > twice - once he even put his hands to my throat. > > His temper will flare and his rage will burst over matters that I am > unable to anticipate - example last night we had ice-cream cones but no > ice cream in the house - However, yesterday he did say to me he is so > angry he feels vile and is ready to beat someone up. Sorry to hear about your husband's problems. First of all your safety is most important. If you are really afraid that he is going to hurt you , you should take action to be sure you are safe. You could call your local Community Mental Health Center emergency service. Or if you have someone who you could call e.g. an adult child a friend etc. who can stay with you- to be able to help him first you have to be safe. Also- be sure that there are no weapons in the house. And if you are being threatened involve the police. Is this a brand new behavior or is it an exaggeration of his usual personality? Is he forgetful? I agree with Bob Fink's questioning as to whether this is a new behavior since starting the Antidepressant. It is possible that the anger is related to mania which can be precipitated in susceptible individuals. Has he a history of repeated mood problems or other psychiatric in the past?. However, more likely it is the antidepressants that will help him not hurt him if he will take them. What is prescribed and at what dose? It can take 2-4 weeks for antidepressants taken as prescribed to work. > He refuses to take his anti-depressent as he feels less like a man on > them. He looks for reasons to be angry and tells me I irritate him. Irritability is a common symptom of depression. > I > am looking for help and hope someone will speak to me on this. His statement about feeling less of a man might be related to the effects of depression or antidepressants on sexual performance/ This can usually be treated by changing antidepressants. For now. Keep yourself safe. Notify his neurologist and be sure make him aware of how frightened you are. Ask for a referral to a geriatric psychiatrist and/or one familiar with PD. And keep us informed about how you and he are doing. Charlie -- ****************************************************************************************** Charles T. Meyer, M.D. Middleton (Madison), Wisconsin [log in to unmask] ******************************************************************************************