A Look at Parkinson’s Disease Psychosis

[MUSIC PLAYING] Psychosis is a common symptom of Parkinson's disease. More than half of all patients will eventually develop some symptoms.

Psychosis is a syndrome in which someone's ability to test or verify reality is impaired. Psychosis generally occurs in moderate or advanced stages of Parkinson's disease.

We're not sure of the exact cause. But chemicals in the brain, like dopamine and serotonin, seem to play a role. Psychosis can mean different things depending on the person and how advanced it is.

The main types of psychotic symptoms of Parkinson's includes a phantom presence, illusions, hallucinations, and delusions.

Phantom presence means feeling like someone is right next to you or behind you. Illusions are misinterpreting something, like hearing something wrong or mistaking a jacket on a chair as a person. Hallucinations are something you see, hear, smell, taste, or feel that isn't really there. Delusions are false beliefs that get stuck in your head, like paranoia or thinking a spouse is cheating.

If someone is experiencing these symptoms, there are treatment options. The first step is to check for other causes or triggers, for instance, are they sleep deprived, or do they have an infection? After that, the doctor may try to eliminate or reduce the medications currently being taken. If none of those work, antipsychotic medications might be prescribed.

The most important thing is for the family to recognize that patients may often experience these symptoms for months or years before they ever mention it. The family may see subtle clues in the behavior of someone, looking around like this, randomly, or something like that. They seem to be concerned when no one's in the room. These are often subtle clues that someone's having psychotic symptoms. But the most important thing to do is to mention it to their neurologist or psychiatrist. [MUSIC PLAYING]