About me

PROFILE:
I have been writing poetry and stories since I was a child, and a love of reading was instilled in me from an early age. I am passionate about writing, and hope you enjoy the books I have written. Whilst most of you sleep soundly in your beds, like many Parkinson’s patients, insomnia dictates, so during those hours that sleep eludes me, the house is tranquil and quiet, an atmosphere perfect to immerse myself in writing. My life has been a series of strange events, which have without doubt contributed to my creativity. To publish anything is to bear one’s soul to the world. It is to stand naked and let everyone see who you really are. I have poured my heart and soul out on paper and I hope to share this journey, immersing you in a story, capturing your attention and firing the imagination. Through my writing and public speaking I hope to bring greater awareness to the general public about living with chronic disease.

Monday, December 10, 2012

Parkinson's & mental health

My last article that appeared in The Huffington Post was entitled "The many elements of chronic disease" and I wrote about the mental health issues that unfortunately often accompany Parkinson's disease. I find it sad and hard to understand that in today's society when many topics are spoken of so openly, that this one issue remains steeped in stigma and people are not forthcoming about a very normal and huge part of most chronic illnesses. The very nature of Parkinson's, not to mention the countless medications that have some nasty strong side effects, without doubt cause mental health issues to arise. Sweeping them under the carpet may have been considered acceptable fifty years ago, but we are now in the year 2012, so let's give ourselves a little more credit; things should have improved and changed, we must be able to talk freely, without shame or embarrassment about mental health. Anyone who knows about Parkinson's realises early on, that depression plays a major role in this degenerative disease and cannot be left to merely sort itself out. Hallucinations are also common with more advanced cases, which can be highly alarming to the sufferer and to those around. The more knowledge and educated we become, the better we can tackle these unpleasant symptoms as and when they arise. Enough sweeping under the carpet; let's come clean - have a spring clean (although it's mid winter - it must be spring somewhere in the world!) and get these issues out in the open and taken care of. 

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