The Edge of Reality

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THE DARK SIDE OF PARKINSON'S
Parkinson's is a tough diagnosis to receive. It will change your life in ways that you cannot easily imagine. Parkinson's is progressive and currently incurable.
Most people think of Parkinson's in terms of tremor, stiffness and slow movements. These are the movement or motor symptoms But there is so much more to this condition than the symptoms you see. As well as the motor symptoms, there are many non-motor symptoms which can have a major impact on quality of life.
Often symptoms change during the course of the illness. Those that were major annoyances in the beginning may diminish with time. And vice versa.
There are drugs to treat Parkinson's and, although these cannot reverse the illness, they do improve quality of life.
Information is key in Parkinson's as in so many illnesses. Some symptoms are inescapable. Others can respond well to treatment if recognised. Much current debate centres on the timing of that information. On the one hand are those that would shield the newly diagnosed from some of the symptoms, on the assumption that they can be addressed later, perhaps when experience makes them better prepared to face some of the challenges.
Another school of thought proposes that patients should have access to all information from diagnosis onward. Patients can access the information as early or as late in the illness as the wish. They make decisions at their own pace.
Sometimes symptoms are difficult or embarrassing to talk about. Patients may be reluctant to talk to their family physician about their experience, perhaps unaware even that it is a component of Parkinson's.
These short films aim to provide pointers for patients, touching on issues that are uncomfortable, and to encourage them to make the connection with their illness and seek physician help.
There is a risk of course in raising such issues with those that are perhaps emotionally unprepared. We acknowledge that. But we also believe that issues such as these are harmful if brushed under the carpet. We present these films in the hope and belief that they will do more good than harm.
Jon Stamford and Anders Leines, December 2020.