Social Symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease

Abstract

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is typically well-recognized by its characteristic motor symptoms (e.g., bradykinesia, rigidity, and tremor). The cognitive symptoms of PD are increasingly being acknowledged by clinicians and researchers alike. However, PD also involves a host of emotional and communicative changes which can cause major disruptions to social functioning. These include problems producing emotional facial expressions (i.e., facial masking) and emotional speech (i.e., dysarthria), as well as difficulties recognizing the verbal and non-verbal emotional cues of others. These social symptoms of PD can result in severe negative social consequences, including stigma, dehumanization, and loneliness, which might affect quality of life to an even greater extent than more well-recognized motor or cognitive symptoms. It is therefore imperative that researchers and clinicians become aware of these potential social symptoms and their negative effects, in order to properly investigate and manage the socioemotional aspects of PD. The present review provides an examination of the current research surrounding some of the most common social symptoms of PD and their related social consequences, and argues that proactively and adequately addressing these issues might improve disease outcomes.

Do diagnóstico às potencialidades na doença de Parkinson: o olhar do paciente

“…O panorama apresentado acima, caso não seja estabelecido iniciativas que melhorem a compreensão da DP, em seus sinais motores e não motores podem ocasionar situações de perda de humanização do paciente, a estigmatização já relatada, como isolamento social e solidão, todas consideradas sintomas sociais da Doença de Parkinson, que precisam ser manejada, em todos os níveis de atenção à saúde, tal quais os sintomas motores e não motores (Prenger et al, 2020). Além disso, é urgente a criação de conteúdos e ferramentas educacionais que esclareçam a sociedade sobre a DP, pois a massificação da informação tem sido uma alternativa, suscitando entendimento e maiores buscas por conhecimento sobre a DP ma população geral, mostrando a viabilidade da educação por meio de diferentes tecnologias educacionais (Jagota et al, 2020).…”

Gaze‐speech coordination during social interaction in Parkinson's disease

“…Non-motor sequelae are also wide ranging due to more widespread loss of dopamine within the striatum and cortex as well as neurodegenerative changes beyond the dopaminergic system (Kish et al, 1988;Miguelez et al, 2020). Cognitive symptoms can be apparent even in the early stages of the condition (e.g., Levin et al, 1991;Lewis et al, 1998;Owen et al, 1997;Todorova et al, 2014;Wright, Burns et al, 1990) and there is increasing interest in social, emotional and communicative impairments, as these can have a significant impact on patient quality of life (Coundouris et al, 2019;Henry et al, 2015;Pohl et al, 2017;Prenger et al, 2020;Schrag et al, 2000). A better understanding of these aspects of PD may contribute towards improved therapies and support for communication difficulties in the future (Holtgraves, 2016).…”