Making the Connection Between Brain and Behavior: Coping with Parkinson's Disease

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% of PD patients experience some level of depression, anxiety, dementia, hallucinations, paranoid delusions, sleep disorders, and other behavioral disorders that affect everyone involved. Written in easy-to-read language, Making the Connection Between Brain and Behavior 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.

Special Features Include:

• 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
• Written in layman terms to help readers understand and cope with behavioral issues

Making the Connection Between Brain and Behavior: Coping with Parkinson's Disease is a wonderful resource for patients, caregivers, family members, wanting to improve their quality of life, and healthcare professionals looking for a tool to help their patients open up about the challenges they are facing.

While patients and families are aware of the physical challenges that accompany Parkinson’s disease, few are prepared for the common behavioral issues that impact their quality of life, including depression, anxiety, dementia, paranoid delusions, and sleep disorders. This book, the only one of its kind, focuses entirely on an area that most doctors overlook. Written in layman’s terms, it helps readers understand and cope with a wide variety of Parkinson’s-related behavioral issues and offers guidance on communicating with the healthcare team.

Doody Review Services

Reviewer:Lisa M. Shulman, MD(University of Maryland School of Medicine)
Description:The last 15 years have been characterized by escalating interest and research in the so-called "nonmotor" symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Nonmotor symptoms including depression, sleep disturbance, and cognitive problems previously took a back seat to the well known motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease, such as bradykinesia, gait impairment, and tremor. This book, written by a well known expert and researcher on nonmotor symptoms, is evidence of the rising prominence of psychiatric and behavioral issues among patients and physicians.
Purpose:The purpose is to educate patients and family members about the relationship between Parkinson's disease and behavior. These important objectives are achieved.
Audience:The book is written for lay readers, primarily people with Parkinson's disease and their families.
Features:The author, Dr. Joseph Friedman, has a pleasing, conversational writing style and he communicates complex medical issues with ease. Patient vignettes, examples, and tables are used effectively to illuminate the material and improve understanding. Dr. Friedman distills complicated and controversial medical issues into easily digestible discussions. He is the rare physician who is able to put himself in the patient's shoes, with discussions of common concerns that hit just the right tone. Another successful strategy is a brief paragraph at the beginning of each chapter, summarizing each topic. It is fair to say that the narrow focus of a book on behavioral issues is not for everyone. The average reader is likely to be looking for a book that gives the big picture, and most general books on Parkinson's disease include chapters with good discussions of behavioral issues. At times, long wordy passages are devoted to relatively narrow topics such as the "Parkinson's personality." Unfamiliar medical terminology, such as "clinical fluctuations" or "deep brain stimulation," slip into the text, sending most readers to the glossary, where some, but not all of these uncommon phrases will be found. Some chapters, such as those on driving, caregivers and family, and "Why You Should Not Go to the Emergency Department" are important, but quite a stretch from the book's subject of brain and behavior.
Assessment:Nonetheless, if you have special interest in the interactions between Parkinson's disease and behavior, you will enjoy this book. Dr. Friedman reveals to readers how doctors think in an enjoyable and easy to understand format.