Does that sound like you? It doesn't really sound like me, or like my mom or my uncle, who also had PD. I've noticed, at least among those still able to be mobile, a robust cheerfulness and a willingness to poke fun at ourselves. Certainly for people dealing with annoying and constant reminders of what we can't do, I've found Parkies to be upbeat, inventive in figuring out how to get around the barriers that our bodies present to us, and generous in sharing solutions they have learned. But then again, I see the same things in Parkie caregivers. I have been fortunate that I haven't been hit by the depression that hits so many with PD; I see other Parkies at exercise classes in particular, and I find exercise to be anti-depression.
A study in 2012 found that there really isn't a Parkie Personality. That lack of novelty seeking is probably due to low amounts of dopamine (because there is no dopamine "high" from novelty), and that cautiousness is probably due to mood problems like depression and anxiety.
Speaking of studies about personality, there are even studies showing that it's harder for Parkies to lie, probably because lying requires use of executive functioning, and we're lousy at that. I'll be the first to say, "Yup. My executive functioning su---, um, stinks."
It seems that a lot of this work relates to finding a biomarker that identifies PD early, but I don't think we're there yet.
Image from Pixabay.
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