In Parkinson's disease brain cells are lost which results in a decrease in dopamine, an essential neurotransmitter, explains Hopkins Medicine. Parkinson's disease symptoms include a slow and awkward gait, muscle rigidity, tremor and lack of balance, and, in 8% Parkinson's patients, delusions, notes the National Parkinson's Foundation. Delusions are rigid, false beliefs that the patient maintains despite evidence to the contrary, notes Hopkins Medicine, and there are several common delusions experienced by some patients with Parkinson's disease.
Impostors, Replicas or Disguises
Parkinson's Hope Digest explains that "capgras" is a syndrome that can be experienced by patients with Parkinson's disease where they believe a friend or family member has been replaced by another individual, an impostor. This means that a patient with Parkinson's may worry that a visiting daughter is not really their daughter, but someone pretending to be. This delusion can extend to objects, where a patient with Parkinson's disease believes that their house or other familiar things are replicas, notes Parkinson's Hope Digest, and there have been reports of people rejecting or refusing their homes. Less commonly, Parkinson's to believe a stranger is really a person they know disguised as someone they've never met, explains Parkinson's Hope Digest.
Persecution, Suspicion and Jealousy
Common delusions for Parkinson's disease patients is to be jealous or suspicious of their family and friends and it is not uncommon for spouses to be accused of adultery, stealing or emotional harm, notes Hopkins Medicine. Additionally, patients can have delusions of persecution, where they believe they are being harassed, cheated or conspired against, notes the National Parkinson's Foundation. Other delusions of this nature can include worry that there is something dangerous or highly illegal occurring in the patient's neighborhood, notes Parkinson's Hope Digest. The National Parkinson's Foundation notes that of all types of delusions that are reported, delusions of jealousy and persecution are the most commonly reported.
Body and Health
According to the National Parkinson's foundation, Parkinson's patients can also experience delusions that their body functions in an abnormal manner. This type of delusion can also be manifest by an extreme obsession with the body and how it's functions or a fixation on health. These delusions are often accompanied by anxiety and agitation over abnormal or unusual symptoms, notes the National Parkinson's Foundation and extreme concern about the symptoms experienced and may be accompanied by frequent visits to the doctor to address the imaginary illnesses or symptoms.
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