Television Commercial on hallucinations and delusions

[parkie13]

I just saw the new commercial expended. It was on CBS This Morning. After seeing the nice kitty the Pd man sees his wife with a lover. I am hoping this is going to become a lightning rod for a change. I cannot do anything however look at the portrayal of us to the rest of the population.

[BaileyCO]

I had similar thoughts when I saw the commercial. I am sure family and friends see the commercial and wonder what's next. This disease has already changed the way we are viewed.

[sharron2 in reply to BaileyCO]

I had a discussion about that commercial and hallucinations with a co worker today. She was surprised to learn about this potential symptom. I feel any honest representation of Parkinson's issues are good teaching moments to the public. Awareness of Parkinson's I think has more good than bad to it.

I did explain to my friend that this can happen and is difficult, but not everyone has this manifestation.

I don't have the issue of worrying about how the public views this as it is my husband. I need to be cognizant of the this, as it is a valid concern.

[parkie13 in reply to sharron2]

They are promoting a very expensive drug. I have not seen them advertise levodopa.

How is this going to affect some of the people that are still working?

They showed the delusion of a lover, next one is it going to be a murder?

[Saaoirse in reply to parkie13]

That’s a little extreme. I wish I’d seen this advert sooner. It explains a lot. It also says that up to 50% of patients experience these issues, not everyone. Be glad you’re not a chronic pain patient because we’re enemy number one for the media these days.

[soup]

I am in a carer’s Facebook site and I live in England. This type of delusion is one that is often discussed in the group.

Wider acknowledgement of the possibility of delusions and hallucinations is certainly overdue.

Newly diagnosed families somehow come to terms with the possibility of dementia, probably by pushing it to the back of their minds, yet the subject of psychosis is rarely mentioned.

[Saaoirse in reply to soup]

I found it very helpful too.

[MarciAC4]

I agree that people should be informed. However, I have young onset Parkinson’s. This commercial really scared my 11-year-old, who has already seen enough when my tremors are uncontrollable and when he was the one to find me having a seizure. Any time the poor boy hears the slightest noise when l am out of his sight, he comes running to make sure that I am the ok. I hate that I cause this angust. The new commercial just adds to the worry

[ddmagee1]

It wouldn’t be advisable, in my opinion, for the public, to get the impression, that most of us PD victims are going to have delusional and/or psychotic episodes. That would put us in a category that does not include me, at this point, and would set an unfair precedent of the course of the disease, because not everybody gets this. Nowadays, labeling people seems to be the thing to do, especially by many in the media. PD is a multifaceted disorder that shouldn’t have the label on it, that “one size fits all”! Having Parkinson’s and seeing people with Parkinson’s can be compared to snowflakes, in my opinion. Each snowflake is a little different. Parkinson’s signs and symptoms present themselves a little different in each person, dependent upon the area and extent of neuronal degeneration within the nervous system. So I for one do not not want to be labeled and put in a box by people saying that because I have PD, I’m going delusional!!

[parkie13]

Again we are back to the square one. United States is one of the very few countries that does allow advertisement of drugs straight to the consumer. A while back the drug companies fought really hard to get the warnings taken out of the advertisements. Thank goodness that did not happen. Our privacy is being invaded and stripped by the big Pharma.

[frostycp]

When I first saw this commercial, I warned my husband to be kind to me. If not, i have my “defence” story ready “the PD made me do it”.

Of course this was only an attempt at comedy for a serious issue.

It’s disgusting! That commercial, in particular, should not be on the air. It is depressing, scary and adds to the worries of all PWD and their loved ones.

Why is money more important than empathy?

[arwenmark]

So how many of you have emailed or written to the manufacturer to complain about the commercial?

[parkie13 in reply to arwenmark]

I have not.