I'd rather be a hammer than a nail.....

Went for my walk this morning and encountered 4 teenage skaters, skating down the middle of the street, talking loudly at the speed of light and trying to sound like Charlie Manson. They had no adjectives except the f-word. Come to think of it, the f-word was also used as a verb when one told another to do something that is anatomically impossible. Did I react? No, I put my ear buds in and listened to Billy Joel. I was somewhat nervous, until they passed without showing a scintilla of interest in me. A touch of paranoia, maybe? They were just kids living large. But what were they up to at 5AM?

Paranoia is a symptom of Parkinson's, which should come as no surprise, after all we members of the PD tribe have brains that are not in great shape. But, paranoia can occur in ordinary people too. A good friend of mine recalls walking through a field on a dark, dark night, when she heard a noise behind her. There were teenage boys on the same path. She began to get nervous as they got closer and her paranoia got the best of her. She pulled out a pocket knife and turned quickly. One of the boys saw the knife and yelled "It's a crazy woman with a knife!! RUN!". That story always makes me smile.

Back to Parkinson's delusions. Delusions are very common in people with parkinson's. I read somewhere that 2 out 3 victims will suffer from momentary, but not troubling, hallucinations out of the corner of their eye (see earlier posts - I have had a few). This condition may become more severe with age.

Delusions are usually of a common theme, typically of spousal infidelity. Other themes are often paranoid in nature (such as thinking that people are out to steal from one’s belongings, or to harm or place poison on their food, or substitute their Parkinson medications, etc.) Because they are paranoid in nature, they can be more threatening and more immediate action is often necessary, compared to visual hallucinations (Zahodne and Fernandez 2008a; Zahodne and Fernandez 2008b; Fernandez 2008; Fernandez et al. 2008; Friedman and Fernandez 2000). It is not uncommon that patients actually call 9-1-1 or the police to report a burglary or a plot to hurt them. See Okun article "

As for me, I ain't afraid of no PD. Instead, I am trying to visualize paranoia as a skill, but I don't seem to be developing exemplary credentials. You see, I am a little frightened that I may be wrong.