Making the Connection between Brain and Behavior. Coping with Parkinson's Disease

Description:

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a chronic and progressive disease that affects as many as one million people in the United States alone. Although many patients and families are aware of the physical challenges that accompany Parkinson's disease, few are prepared to deal with the common behavioral issues that impact their quality of life. Behavior problems in PD are not always catastrophic, but they are common. It is estimated that 65-90 per cent of PD patients experience some level of depression, anxiety, dementia, hallucinations, paranoid delusions, sleep disorders, and other behavioral disorders that affect everyone involved. With a new Foreword and a new Resource Section, "Making the Connection Between Brain and Behavior, Second Edition" is the only book that focuses entirely on an area that many doctors overlook, an area that often causes the most problems and can be the most treatable. The self-contained chapters will help readers understand, address, and cope with common behavioral issues, as well as provide guidance on ways to communicate with the healthcare team. "Making the Connection between Brain and Behavior" includes: a focus on a wide variety of behavioral conditions from sleep disorders to dementia; special chapters on PD medication and the side effects that can lead to behavioral problems; easy to read self-contained chapters so patients can read only the desired sections; vignettes to illustrate the problems under discussion; and, written in layman terms to help readers understand and cope with behavioral issues.

Author Biography:

Joseph Friedman, MD, is the director of the Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders Center of NeuroHealth. He is the Clinical Professor of Clinical Neurosciences at the Warren Alpert School of Medicine of Brown University.