Re: Depression

Because the Oprah show also featured a young woman with dystonia, I kind of thought of the whole topic more narrowly focused on the physical aspects – so the omission didn’t bother me. Also, MJF hasn’t suffered from depression, so I don’t think it’s a natural part of his public discussion of living with PD.

The good news is that he addresses it early in his new book, “Always Looking Up,” page 26:

“My interactions with the larger PD population put another dimension of my good fortune into stark relief. For whatever reason, I had been spared the torture of depression. By this, I don’t mean that I hadn’t had bouts of sadness, fear, or anxiety about my situation, although at times I had to cut through a layer of denial to recognize it. But clinical depression is a common symptom faced by approximately 40 percent of PD patients. Like dementia, it may be present from the beginning, appear over time, or show up suddenly in the later stages. As I said though, apart from the expected ups and downs of a life with Parkinson’s, I don’t struggle with the chemical imbalance that triggers severe depression.

I never logged out of the online PD forums without realizing how fortunate I was. My family, my relative youth, my financial situation, as well as my public position gave me a tremendous advantage in dealing with my illness.”